Dino Attack: At War's End

[Andrewnuva199]

IC: Semick led Andrew's crew out to a balcony somewhere in the middle of the height of the building. From there, the entirety of LEGO City's skyline could be seen.Though obviously still bearing the wounds from the Mutant Dinos' first onslaughts, the city appeared to already be on the road to recovery. Vehicles could be heard driving among the streets, the equipment of busy construction crews echoed from various parts of the city, cranes sporadically rose out of the ground and gaping holes in the skyscrapers. Even a few lights were on in some of the buildings, an early response to the first signs of twilight. Progress was clearly being made, and there was no doubt that when this war finally came to an end, LEGO City, along with the rest of the world, would be restored to its former glory in a matter of months."it looks quite haunting," Pterisa observed, "but looking at it from here, and knowing of how Minifigs are moving back in, the skyline almost seems to stand out as a message of hope.""Like a monument to the spirit of endurance and reconstruction," added Laxus. "Something that's always been a big ideal for not just Minifigs, but for many worlds in this universe.""Yeah..." said Andrew. "It's quite comforting to see this city healing so well from the attacks.""Maybe... but I find that it gives me pause," said Semick. "It worries me to see so many civilians returning to life here. This war isn't over yet.""It almost is, plus as the base of our operations, we've pretty much kicked the Mutant Dinos out. Save a few stranglers the patrols are taking care of, there's not many left. It's hard to imagine them taking it back, especially considering what's been done to Dr. Rex's methods of creating more of them."Semick remained silent for a few moments, appearing to Andrew like an ominous sign. "The thing is, Andrew, I've been imagining a lot since I heard about the mole, and I'm starting to lose my confidence.""So..." said Laxus, starting to look concerned, "what you're saying is-""I'm starting to feel like our enemies are planning something. Something big, something we would have a hard time predicting, something... that serves as one last strike that could very well devastate our forces here at HQ, and this city in the process."The group was silent as they contemplated this idea. After a few moments, Andrew spoke. "Well... I can understand the worry, but... there are the facts to consider. The Maelstrom temple is cleansed, the Brickster's devastated their Dino Island facilities, most of XERRD's top scientists are dead or captured, the mole's been just about weeded out, we've cleared out several important locations... what do they have left? What could they possibly-""I wouldn't underestimate Alpha Rex," Pterisa suddenly interjected, looking quite morbid. "The other prototypes and I made that mistake before, and... well, I can only thank Dr. Einstein that I managed to end up where I am now. He may have had his many of his resources cut off, but trust me when I say its very possible that he has some secrets locked up somewhere, like I was, ready for a last resort attack on your team."After a few moments of contemplation of her words, Andred added to the conversation. "True, actually. Not only do we not know everything he has at his disposal, this former man is highly unpredictable, and I'd bet my Titanic car that a professional psychologist would diagnosis him as insane to the highest degree. Assuming the database researchers are correct, not only does he want to eradicate Minifigkind, he's got issues with General regarding love interests, has used Ole knows what methods to live eighty years or something, and has spent years with Paradox and his life as a Mutant T-Rex exposing himself to the Maelstrom.""Compound that with the utter rage he must be feeling at our latest victories," said Semick, "and he might be willing to go all out, possibly willing to let himself, his XERRD followers, and all his plans fall by the wayside in some mad urge to get revenge and utterly destroy us. In short, I'm willing to believe that we could very well be facing our hardest challenge yet very soon."Semick looked back out to LEGO City's skyline, which was beginning to take on quite a beauty as the sun began to cast an orange light on the horizon. "And LEGO City, with its returning civilian populace, could end up right in the middle of it all. A sitting duck, thinking its safe to go back in the water.""I can't just stand here and let that possibility come to fruition. We need to prepare for the worst."

[Atton Rand]

@Brikman: Well, if Atton wasn't going to use that line, then I certainly wasn't going to pass up the opportunity!@Atton: If you're out of ideas how to get Montoya legally out of the prison complex, I'll see what Amanda and Rex can do... if not, well, there's always that stick of dynamite that Firecracker handed Demoman...

OOC: That was actually a total coincidence. Montoya's name was little more than a shout-out to the film that inspired Trigger. It was only after I started writing I noticed he shared his name with Inigo Montoya.Unfortunately, at this point I find it hard to imagine Montoya attempting a break-out. His younger self did try to avoid getting caught, but given his current personality he doesn't seem like the kind of guy who would be constantly scheming to escape. The stick of dynamite could be useful, I never really had any plans for that and only included it because it was something that was in-character for Firecracker to do.By the way, I just remembered, I was going to put this off until I could write this in more detail on my own computer, now is my chance.IC: Pierce turned in shock as a tall Elite Agent with a thick handlebar mustache burst into the infirmary accompanied by several armed men."I'm looking for elite agent Rotor," the mustached man said. "I understand he is in here.""Yeah," replied Pierce. It was only a few minutes before two of the armed men grabbed Rotor and forced him out of his cot."Elite Agent Rotor, I presume," said the mutached man. "I am Elite Agent French Fries, and I have reviewed the report of the Adventurers Island mission. You are therefore under arrest, and due to be court martialled for treason!""Treason?" Rotor asked."Attempted murder, torturing prisoners, deserting your post, and escaping from prison. Take him to the court room."

***

Rotor was rather surprised as he was forced into the small box in the court room to find the only other man there was George, also sitting at the table of the defendants. There was another man there.

"What's going on?" Rotor asked.

'I'm not quite sure," replied George. "Some form of trial."

"It's quite alright," replied Rotor. "Any reasonable judge is bound to let us off."

"Of course," replied the man.

"Who is the judge by the way?" Rotor asked. Suddenly, a deep-voiced incoherent shouting was heard. They quickly recognized the voice. "I'm dead," Rotor said.

"Well, come one," French Fries said as he walked into the room and started shoving his way toward the central judge's chair, pushing aside two other men. "Let's get this over in five minutes, then we can get some lunch."

After getting comfortable, French Fries proceeded to start. "Right," he said. "The court is now in session, Elite Agent French Fries is in the chair. The case before us is that of the team vs. Elite Agent Rotor and Standard Agent Pilot, both guilty of mass treason. Oh, and clerk, hand me that black cap, I'll be needing that."

The man in front of the judge's table passed French Fries a black, flat piece of cloth. "I love a fair trial," George remarked sarcastically.

"Anything you have to say before we kick off, Gunderson."

The prosecutor who talked to Rotor earlier stood up in response.

"As this is clearly an open and shut case," Gunderson said. "I'd like to request a private prosecution against the defense council for wasting the court's time."

"Granted" replied French Fries. "The defense council is fined fifty dollars for showing up. Now, let the trial begin. The charge is that Agent Rotor did deliberately, and knowingly attempt to murder his own teammates, tortured innocent prisoners, and deserted your post in the face of duty and that Pilot has deliberately, and knowingly helped a convicted war criminal, deserted his post in the face of duty, and disobeyed some orders as well.

OOC: Bonus points to anyone who can pick up the reference.

[Jacks]

OOC: Hay guise, sorry I haven't posted in so long; it's just that I had writer's block all last week and then on Friday went off to a music festival at which, during a jam, I participated in the rendition of a song called "Amanda" in which a man thinking of his beloved realizes that he's not as young as he thought he still was, which made me think of Rex, except that the parallels ended fairly quickly because the man in the song was a travelling guitarist rather than a body-swapped dinosaur/scientist/wheelchair-bound pacifistic war hero.Welcome back, crazy! Reading your dramatic reveal reminded me that the potential exists for something of a Continuity Snarl to form between our characters; namely, that Loop was in Ogel's Army in 2008, but B didn't recognize him in any of the encounters they had in this RPG. So, for safety's sake, was there any point in Alpha Team: Ogel's Last Stand that you can recall where the two met? I can't remember.Though I do remember distinctly that Loop and Frozeen met once...given that Loop is currently somewhere inside DAHQ, that could make for an interesting confrontation.

... Well, there go my plans to reveal that "A.J." stood for "Andrew Jackson", as a little shout-out to the fact that Abraham Lincoln was the first (and, some believe, the current) Team Fortress 2 Pyro.

You could call her Andrea. If I'm not mistaken that's the female equivalent of Andrew so the reference would still work.

To be honest, between the initials and the surname, I was rather hoping for Applejack. I suppose that was a coincidence, though.

"Well," shrugged Frozeen, "I doubt that he's trapped in some Builder-forsaken desert wasteland for all eternity... that's about one of the few things I can imagine being worse than a desolate city.""How about a desolate city in some Builder-forsaken desert wasteland?" added Rex."Taken over by Ice Drones that he cannot kill, no matter how hard he tries," mused Frozeen, "and his only source of internet has to be stolen from some big, tall, ominous-looking citadel ruled by an oppressive overlord that makes Evil Ogel look like a soft, cuddly bunny." Chuckling himself, Frozeen decided: "Yep. Forget MegaBlokLand. That... thing we just described... that sounds like a fate worse than MegaBlokLand for Gromtin. Pray to Builder that his Creative Spark is, indeed, in a place much better than that."

I see what you did there ...Well, I was about to suggest that we move the discussion of orientation to the wiki before it gets too political/theological for BZP rules, but it seems that PeaSam has abruptly leapt out of the shadows to protect the RPG we all love so dearly from controversy. Still, I feel somewhat compelled to say that if anyone cares to continue the topic off-BZP, I'm all in; issues of gender, orientation, etc. are something of a passion for me, and now that subject has been broached, I'm rather curious as to your opinions IC: Once Demoman and Pyro had been escorted away and the firefighters departed, the corridor calmed down a bit and the various agents dispersed. Hotwire was soon left alone, and he began walking away. As the adrenalin faded, he became aware of an intense ache in his left foot -- odd, given that he no longer had a left foot. Phantom pains. So it begins, he thought. Can't be much longer before the psychological trauma hits. His musings were interrupted when he rounded a corner and saw Katerina Schattenberg walking purposefully along, flanked by her two three-eyed Loop lookalikes. He couldn't help but feel a twinge of mourning for the woman he'd befriended months ago, especially since she shared the exact appearance of this...stranger. Hopes that she wouldn't notice him survived only the briefest of moments as she quickened her pace. Now just hoping that the resentment he felt wasn't visible in his eyes, he slowed to meet her."Agent Hotwire," Katerina said smoothly, but with an undercurrent of urgency in her voice. "Perhaps you can be of assistance. I have reason to believe that Lupus Schattenberg survives and is now in this very building.""How's that possible?" said Hotwire skeptically. "He went down aboard the Talon outside Hotep's temple." He listened carefully as Katerina related her encounter with Detective Bogart, and the odd bandanna-wearing figure she'd seen skulking at the edge of the room. By the time she finished he was beginning to feel worried as well. "But how do you expect me to help?" he asked.Katerina gestured towards a security camera a few feet away. "If you could grant me access to the right wires, I will be able to connect with the system and view all the recent footage, which could help us to locate him.""Why not just go through the proper channels?"She shook her head. "Too inefficient. Lupus is a rogue element -- an agent of chaos, if you will -- and must be dealt with as quickly as possible. I will be able to resolve the situation with ease and rapidity on my own."Hotwire raised an eyebrow, but moved towards the wall panel under the camera. It would be easy enough to expose the proper wires without knocking the camera offline or triggering any alarms. Rather tedious, though -- an infiltrator would undoubtedly be much better off with EMPs. He pried the panel open, slipped on a pair of insulated rubber gloves, and began sorting through the array of cords.After several minutes, the feeling of Katerina's iron stare as he worked became slightly discomforting, so he attempted conversation. "So how'd Loop get free? I thought you reprogrammed him or something."Katerina sniffed. "I cannot be sure." She sounded slightly embarrassed by this lack of knowledge. "I can only theorize that the chaotic events of the battle somehow allowed him to break away from his psychological conditioning. Still, as I said, it will be an easy enough matter for me to reassert control once we locate him."Hotwire couldn't help but find this somewhat unnerving. Sounds like straight-up mind control, he thought, and decided he'd rather continue working in silence.OOC: I'd appreciate it if nobody finds those two until after my next IC. Thanks all. Edited July 9, 2012 by Jackson Lake

[Brikman McStudz]

IC:"So," Minerva began, leaning against the wall of the Dino Attack Headquarters. "Who is your letter from?""Let's see," Zach said, tearing open the envelope and pulling out a sheet of paper. He read through the letter, a small smile forming on his face. "Just as I thought: the folks back in Antarctica checking up on me.""Mommy worried about her little boy?" Minerva asked, grinning.Zach ignored her playful insult. "Yes. She wants to know if I'm okay. Hopes that I haven't been injured. She'll probably split a brick when she finds out what has happened.:"Losing a hand, becoming a zombie, and getting every beating under the sun?""She also says everything is fine in Antarctica at the moment. Not so much of a surprise.""I think she wrote that letter for the sake of getting a response from you," Minerva noted."You can't really blame her. In all seriousness, she's probably worried sick that I ran around a jungle inhabited by mutated dinosaurs, trying to take down a temple that was host to an exceptional dark power bent on destroying the universe. A dark power she knew I would have some...issues with."Minerva merely nodded. Zach suddenly felt guilty. Minerva most likely felt jealous that he had a mother that cared for his well-being while she as of few days ago, has no mother. Eager to rectify his mistake, Zach continued speaking."Let's head in," he said. Minerva stood up straight and they pushed open the door and entered the lobby. "What should I write? Everything? Brief summary?"Minerva shrugged. "I'd probably be somewhat detailed. Like a lot of what happened would best be explained in person. But don't be so vague that she's left panicking about your state of well-being."Zach nodded. "Sounds good. Let's see...I'll mention the fortress, Scratch, the temple. I'll throw in the long Stromling bit with the promise that I'm mostly okay and I'll explain everything when I see her again. And an 'I miss you' to top it off" Minerva grinned at his explanation. "Oh, and I suppose I'll mention you.""And Mommy will be excited her little Zachy got a girlfriend, right?" Minerva said with a smirk."Probably," Zach said in complete seriousness. "And then she'll want to meet you, have coffee, go shopping, etc. Treat you like her second daughter, that sort of thing. Not sure how well it would work out. Without going into much detail, you two aren't very alike."Minerva laughed. "I'm sure that will be fun." she said sarcastically."When you put it that way, you both are incredible sarcastic. You'll get along great."

[avmatoran]

IC:"Well, I started UlTech seven years ago. I was in the same business as Mindstorms, Inc. and the Dacta Corporation. They were some pretty fierce competition. Some people started buying from us, but not enough. My start-up fund was being depleted fast. We were in a downward spiral. To attract customers, we needed an innovative product. To create a new product, we needed money. To get money, we needed customers. UlTech seemed like a flop," Dr. Cyborg started."Then, the president of Mindstorms was killed by the deadly Silencia Venamosa. I was in my rented space in an office building, when my assistant came in. He said I wanted to see this. A television was hanging on the wall in the hallway. I came out and saw a news report about an assassination of the Mindstorms president. I was glad. I would never hire an assassin myself, but who was I to turn down good luck? Some of Mindstorms' customers turned to Dacta, but many started buying from us. And then, the leader of Dacta was killed, to. Everybody started buying from us. By the time MIndstorms and Dacta got their games together, it was too late. We had been cemented as one of the leading technology companies on the planet."OOC:There will be more backstory about UlTech later, but this is why Dr. Cyborg wants to thank Silencia for doing her job so well. PeaSam, feel free to repost this from Rex and Amanda's viewpoint. In fact, please do. I want to see what they think.

[that guy from that show]

OoC:Well here I am posting from the beautiful north shore of Lake Superior. Instead of reading a book on the warm rock shores outside my cabin I sit inside my small room staring at a laptop

OOC: Wow. Are we going to have to make a category on the wiki for mothers now? Between Sarah Bishop and Athena Fabello there seem to be quite a few popping up.

I noticed that too. I kept Claudia alive so she could make an appearance at some point but I think I'll do it when it's less of a fad.

OOC:I'm a Christian, and homosexuality is not in God's plan for us, therefore, I request a retcon.

I'm a Christian too and son of a Lutheran Pastor. I grew up on a seminary and I know that Jesus never once spoke out against homosexuality. Any reference to it in the bible is a cultural sin, not a spiritual one. Who are we to know God's plain?Honestly, saying you're a Cristian tells us as much about you're beliefs as saying you are an American. Quite frankly I'm disappointed this RPG can't be more progressive.PeabodySam is right, this is not the time or the place to have this discussion.iC:With the sudden surge in occupancy in the detention ward the cellblock had become filled with curious onlookers. Pharisee had no qualm in allowing them to stay. He believed in a strict policy of transparency and encouraged agents to see the men who create destroyed all that was sacred and holy to the team.The Commander stood with his arms behind his back looking into the cell that contained the traitor Ata. The man was a special kind of filth, agent Rex would claim that he was just a pawn and was being manipulated by XERRD but Pharisee was less forgiving. Even if Ata did believe what he was doing was right he still was in the moral wrong when he had pulled the trigger on Engineer and he deserved punishment for his crimes.Pharisee firmly believed that Ata deserved to die. Once the investigation was over he would put in a word to the founding members and the council of elite agents requesting a public exsiccation.Detective Bogart approached him with a look of accomplishment. “I just spoke with Montoya.” He began. “He said he got a message that agent Claw was here from a man named Schiess.”“Who’s Schiess.” Asked commander Pharisee. “That name’s not on the registry.”“We know him as Trigger.” Said Bogart.Pharisee scowled. “I should have known. Trigger’s punishment is far overdue. I have business to attend to but we will soon bring him here to answer for his crimes. We cannot allow violent men to roam free. They must be held accountable.”Bogart gave a lopsided grin. “Trigger won’t be causing trouble for the time being. Last I heard he had two agents and Solomon Koplowitz shadowing him.”Pharisee nodded. “Good to hear. Now if you excuse me I have something I must say to agent Claw.”* * *Doctor Saran shook the hands of Clint Wayne and Angle Eyes as he stepped up to Pyro’s ceil.“How did the talk with Demoman go?” asked Angle Eyes. “Sorry, Doctor Patient confidentiality,” said Saran. “I’ll need to do a follow up when he’s sober. Make sure he does not have access to alcohol in the future. Admittedly it will make our sessions less…interesting…but it will be beneficial once I can get serious responses.” “When will you be creating a psych report?” Asked Clint.“As soon as I can.” Responded the doctor. “But I’ll certainly need more time.”He was led up to the bars containing Pyro. She stank horribly from the weeks of sweat and ash and her matted black hair hung in clumps over her pale gray eyes.“What can you tell me about Pyro?” said Saran. “I want to hear you’re impression of her.”“Quite frankly we only just learned Pyro is a she.” Offered Clint. “For all the time we’ve known her she kept hidden behind a mask.”“Why do you suppose that is?” asked Saran. “Keeping a face hidden could mean any number of things.”“We always assumed it was for the heat,” muttered Angle Eyes.“It can be more complicated then that.” Said the Psychologist. “Fear, Self-hatred, people pleasing, or not fully knowing who she is could play a role. By forcefully removing her mask Pyro may be feeling exposed or violated right now.”* * *OoC: This is a flashback too; it takes place when Rex and Amanda are in the prison complexIC:Well Rex waited for Amanda to finish her talk with Montoya a hand burst threw the bars of a nearby cell and grabbed his arm. Rex pushed away with his hover chair in surprise but the man had an iron grip and held the elite agent firmly in place.Carl Lutsky pressed his face to the bars of his cell. This was the first time Rex had seen the man since his breakdown and the present state of the ex-commander was disturbing.Lutsky still held a firm grip on the agent’s arm. “I herar you caught the mole.” Cooed Lutsky.“Yes we did.” Responded Rex. He still attempted to remove himself but he remained his composure long enough to answer the mad commander’s question.“Was it Dust?” whispered Lutsky. Rex did not think it was possible but Lutsky pressed his face deaper into the bars. It struck images into the elite agent’s mind of Jack Nickolson in the shining.“I know Dust killed those men.” Said Lutsky.Rex did not know how to respond. The obvious answer was that Dust was dead and that was what he said.“NO!” yelled Lutsky. “He’s controlling you too. He’s in you’re head Rex, you have to kill him!”The commotion was drawing over curious onlooker. Dude, Walter, and Donnie strolled over to see what the fuss was.“Dust is dead.” Said Rex firmly. “You killed him.”“No No No No.” stammered the ex-commander. “I see him, he speaks to me.”Rex looked over to the other agents with a look of confusion. Amanda had finished her talk with Montoya and was heading down the hall to meet Rex.“There!” screamed Lutsky. “I see him!”The agents all looked to where Lutsky pointed but there was no one there.The ex-commander released Rex’s arm and retreated to the corner of his ceil to scream at the imaginary Dust. “YOU’RE A DEAD MAN YOU SON OF A 4+! A DEAD MAN!”Amanda took Rex’s shoulder. “Are you ready to go?”Rex nodded his head but continued looking at the sad figure occupying the cell. “Yes,” said Rex, “Lets get out of here.”OoC:It’s worth noting that the ten XERRD defectors that followed Solomon are also in the detention block.I'll conclude Hertz's flashback next and then I'll post a Hertz/Naomi/Solomon post Edited July 9, 2012 by that guy from that show

[avmatoran]

OOC:I should have said I believe it isn't.

[PeabodySam]

OOC: @Jacks: Actually, if I remember correctly, Frozeen never met Loop, but Loop and General Evil did work together at one point. Very briefly. Before General Evil and Magma got into a classic Scorpion Orb Launcher vs. Blizzard Blaster battle.@Brikman: Split a brick, eh? A funny phrase on its own, but reading it here made me realize that LEGO Island actually got some crud past the radar!@that guy: Was it ten, or was it five? I remember that, not counting Glados, there were fifteen XERRD survivors, and I thought that ten of them were loyalists while the other five surrendered...IC: Rex and Amanda traded glances. Rex could see that Amanda Claw was horrified, disturbed, and repulsed by Dr. Cyborg's story. She locked eyes with the former XERRD scientist and murmured in an exasperated voice, "Do you know what you just said?"Dr. Cyborg faltered. "Why, what's the-""You're glad that Uærlig Sindstorme was assassinated?" continued Amanda. "You consider it good luck that Edward Korrupte was murdered? You want to actually thank Silencia Venomosa... this horrible fiend... this murderous terrorist... for doing a 'good job' just because your company profited from it?"Rex could see that Amanda was getting very distressed about this; it was obvious from her body language and from her voice. Gently, he reached out towards Amanda and murmured, "Amanda, please relax, it's okay-"Amanda shook her head. "No, Rex. It's not 'okay'. Dr. Cyborg, listen to me. Silencia Venomosa was not some miracle you should thank. She was a cold-hearted murderer. A complete monster. And if you consider it good fortune that, eight years ago, a horrible massacre occurred on Main Street, LEGO Town... Edward Korrupte was not the only one killed that day, you know. At least a dozen police officers, all of whom had families of their own, were murdered for doing their job. And not to mention all the innocent civilians who got caught in it all. If you consider that day good fortune just because you profited from it, then... then... you're no better than Walter Breen!"Although Dr. Cyborg appeared disturbed by the other things she said, that last comment made him angry. "Don't compare me to that dirty coward!" he snapped. "In fact, what does Walter Breen even have to do with this?""Because he is the one who-" Amanda stopped herself, realizing that she was about to give away too much information. She took a moment to regain her composure, so Rex decided that it was in their best interest if he did some talking."The thing is, Dr. Cyborg," explained Rex, "the work of Silencia Venomosa is still recent in the minds of most LEGOLAND civilians. It may be considered, as they say, 'Too Soon' to say such things about her. I know you meant well, and I thank you for repairing my hover-chair, but... I think Amanda's right. If Silencia Venomosa is half the person everyone makes her out to be, then her work is nothing to be thankful for."With that, Rex quickly glanced at Amanda, who nodded silently in reply.

*****

When Rex, Amanda, and Frozeen arrived at the post room, they were surprised to see Ed Mail already there, picking up some letters written by Dino Attack agents while putting others written to Dino Attack agents into their respective P.O. boxes. "Well, I'll be," grinned Frozeen. "Looks like the rumors were true after all; not even the apocalypse itself could stop the world's greatest mailman.""Oh, hello, Peter," murmured Ed Mail, not even looking up from his work. "How's things been since your family moved to LEGO Town?"Although he could have launched into detail about the disappearance of his father, the revelation of his true heritage, and all the misery he had been in since joining Alpha Team, Frozeen chose to simply shrug. "Oh, you know. Thing's have been just fine, even if I do miss the old days back at LEGO Island. How has LEGO Island been the past few years?""The same," nodded Ed Mail. "Working every day... because there's mail to deliver every day... and I'm the only mailman on the island... so I never get a break... but it's okay... because it's always nice on LEGO Island... and even if it were raining, snowing, sleeting, or hailing, there's still mail that needs mailing... so I wouldn't get a break anyways... so might as well enjoy working in such nice weather..."Frozeen smiled with a look of nostalgia in his eyes. "Ah, Ed Mail," he chuckled. "You haven't changed one bit.""This letter is for Bartholomew Enderson," Amanda spoke up, handing her envelope to Ed Mail."And this one," Rex reached into his suit and pulled out a familiar envelope, "is addressed to Helen Rutherford."Frozeen raised an eyebrow. "You're still going to send Spy's love letter, even after he... well, you know?"Rex nodded solemnly. "It was intended for her, and it would not be right to keep it from her. Additionally, Specs and I have added a letter of our own to inform her about Spy and Scout and to extend our sympathies towards her. We're also including phone numbers so that she can arrange their funerals, receive grief counseling..."Rex felt a lump in his throat as he spoke. Over the past year, he had seen many Dino Attack agents die. This was the first time he found himself directly involved with the process of delivering the news to the deceased's loved ones. It pained him to think of poor Helen Rutherford as she sits in the Antarctica refugee facilities, all alone, reading the horrible letter that would tell her that her husband and her son would never come home.Ed Mail took the letters and put them in his oversized sack of mail. Then, he slung the bag over his shoulder, bending over due to its massive weight, and began to slowly walk out the post room. Rex, Amanda, and Frozeen watched him go.As Ed Mail stepped into the hall, Rex thought he caught a glimpse of someone hiding in the shadows and darting around the corner. Rex blinked and narrowed his eyes, but the figure was gone. Did his eyes deceive him, or had Ata somehow escape from his high-security imprisonment?Gritting his teeth, Rex thought to himself, I'm not going to take any more chances. With that, he pulled on the joystick and piloted his hover-chair out into the hallway, intending to give chase.OOC: Would appreciate it if no one else caught Ata. I've got a very special person in mind to do the honors.

[Atton Rand]

OOC: That won't be a problem. At the moment, I got this court case to wrap up.IC: "Now sum up please," French Fries said impatiently to the defense attorney, who had just provided a rather horrific defense case that involved a few questions which ultimately failed to help the defendants. He then picked up a piece of paper and started to read the speech."Gentlemen, you have heard all the evidence presented before you today but in the end it is up to the consciences of your hearts to decide, and I firmly believe that like me you will find that Agent Rotor and Agent Pilot are in fact totally and utterly guilty."The defense attorney sat down. An annoyed George turned the paper around, revealing the rest of the speech, and the man quickly stood up. "-Of nothing more than simply trying to do his duty under difficult circumstances.""Nonsense," replied French Fries. "They are deserters and traitors, and they're going to be shot. However, before we proceed to the formality of sentencing the deceased- I mean defendant. I think we'd all enjoy hearing the case of the prosecution, Gunderson, if you please."Gunderson slowly got to his feet and worked his way to the podium. "My case is very simple," Gunderson said. "I would like to start by calling my first witness, Elite Agent French Fries."French Fries stood up and worked his way out of the chair to the podium."Did you not read the report of the affairs on Adventurers Island?" Gunderson asked. "Yes," replied French Fries. "Did it not say that Agent Rotor attempted to execute his own men.""Yes," replied French Fries."Did it not also say that Pilot received an order to destroy the temple.""Yes,""Did Pilot follow that order,""No," replied French Fries. "What did he do?""He deserted the scene of the action," replied French Fries."Did it not also say that Pilot broke Rotor out of prison?""Yes,""I object," replied Pilot. "We were being attacked by a swarm of mutant dinosaurs.""Which brings me to my next point," replied Gunderson. "Did they stay and fight that mob of dinosaurs?""No," replied French Fries. "They ran off into the jungle as far away as they could.""So you're not denying that they deserted?""No sir," replied French Fries."Can you see Rotor and Pilot anywhere in this room."French Fries promptly started shouting and pointing toward the defendants' table. "THEY'RE THERE! THEY'RE THERE! THEY'RE THE MAN!""Very good," replied Gunderson. "No further questions.""Splendid, excellent, first class," replied French Fries as he worked his way back to the judge's table. "I therefore have absolutely no hesitation..."As he spoke, he picked up the piece of cloth and placed it onto his head. "...In announcing that the sentence of this court is that you Elite Agent Rotor and Standard Agent Pilot will be taken from this place and suffer death by shooting tomorrow at dawn. Court dismissed"

***

George and Rotor's attention was drawn as a guard opened the door to their cell. "Chap here to see you."

At that moment, a dirty, filthy short man walked into the cell holding a sack. "I brought you some breakfast for your final breakfast tomorrow."

"I take it you're not putting much hope on a last-minute-reprieve then?" George asked.

"No sir" replied the man. "You are as dead as some doo-doo's."

"As a dodo," replied George. "Now do you have a name?"

"Agent Baldrick, sir," replied the man.

"Well, I'll leave you to it," replied the guard. He closed the door.

"Do not despair, guys" Baldrick said as the door closed. "All that talk of food was just a dead herring. In fact, I have a cunning plan." He held up the sack. "This is not food, but an escape kit."

"Great builder," said Rotor. "With a gun, a hammer, a chisel, a change of clothes, a false passport and a false mustache we might just stand a chance."

"Ah," replied Baldrick.

George reached in and pulled out something that surprised him. "A small painted wooden duck?" He asked.

"Yeah," replied Baldrick. "I thought, if you get caught near water, you could balance it on top of your head, as a brilliant disguise."

"Yes," replied Rotor. "We would of course have to escape first."

"Now what's this?" George said as he reached in. "Unless I'm much mistaken a hammer and a chisel."

"You are much mistaken," replied Baldrick.

"A pencil and a miniature trumpet," said George as he pulled out the items.

"Yeah," replied Baldrick. "A pencil so you guys can write me a postcard to tell me how the breakout went, and a small little tiny miniature trumpet in case during your escape you need to win favor with a difficult child."

"Look," Rotor said in a slightly calmer voice than usual. "We don't want to spend our last precious hours rummaging through this feeble collection of stocking fillers. So let me just ask you a series of simple questions questions. Is there a saw in this bag?"

"No," replied Baldrick.

"A hammer?"

"No,"

"A chisel?"

"No,"

"A gun?"

"A false passport?"

Baldrick stopped to think for a moment. "No."

"A change of clothes?"

"Yes sir," replied Baldrick. "I wouldn't forget a change of clothes."

"Well, that's something," replied George. He reached in and pulled out two costumes. "Robin Hood costumes," he said.

"Yeah," replied Baldrick. "I put in a peasant's outfit at first and then I thought what if you arrive in a peasant village and they're in the middle of a fancy dress party?"

"And what happens if we land in a peasant village dressed in Robin Hood costumes and there isn't a fancy dress party?"

"Well,' said Baldrick. "To be quite Frank I didn't consider that eventuality, because if you did you'd stick out like a-"

"Like a man standing in the middle of a lake with a small, painted, wooden duck on his head?"

"Yes," replied Baldrick.

"Excuse me sir," said the guard as he walked in.

"Um.. yes," replied George. "Thank you Baldrick, we'll finish this pic-nic later."

"Yum yum," said Baldrick enthusiastically as he turned toward the guard before leaving the room.

[Brikman McStudz]

OOC:

Split a brick, eh? A funny phrase on its own, but reading it here made me realize that LEGO Island actually got some crud past the radar!

Yes. I happened to discover that on my (now daily) jaunts over to TV Tropes. It's all right there on the "LEGO Island" page.

Would appreciate it if no one else caught Ata. I've got a very special person in mind to do the honors.

It's probably because I'm just crazy, but I'm immediately assuming this "special person" is Michelle Glados, as you stated she was involved in an "idea" that would work better with her than some "cannon fodder." At least, that was the first thing that came to my head.Either that, or Rex's insanity is showing again.IC:"Well?" Zach said expectantly, crossing his arms. Minerva bit her lip, suppressing a snicker."Well, if I was your mother, I'd be worried sick about what might happen to you next after reading this letter.""I did put some encouraging words in it," Zach protested."I'm pretty that will do little to nothing to reassure her," Minerva said. She shrugged. "It doesn't matter. You're out in a Mutant Dino-infested world. Your mother's going to be terrified regardless."Zach pulled the letter away from her and folded it into an envelope. "Then I suppose I'll send it off." He rose to his feet and began to head to the post room, Minerva right behind him.Fortunately for him, he managed to meet Ed Mail on his path. "Ed! Glad I caught you.""Oh, hello, Zach," Ed muttered. "I suppose you need a letter to be delivered, too.""Yeah." Zach handed it to him. Ed put the letter into his large sack. "Now excuse me. The mail must be delivered." Zach and Minerva stepped out his way, allowing him to slowly pass on."What to now?" Minerva asked."Perhaps we should-"Zach paused as he looked ahead. He saw a floating chair briefly pass through the intersection in the hallway, its occupant, who Zach could not identify, clearly looking for someone. "That sort of looks like Zed Provhezor's chair.""Who?" Minerva asked, confused. "Ze Professor?""Zed Provhezor.""That guy you were reading about that got sucked into the Maelstrom vortex?""Yeah. Some limbless XERRD scientist who floated around in a hoverchair. I passed by him briefly before getting the Maelstrom injected into my body. But, as you said, he should be dead."Minerva frowned, her grip tightening on her Sonic Screamer. "So, I guess that we should see why this guy is in such a hurry?""Probably would be a good idea." Zach made sure his Cosmotronic Ray was fully loaded before he and Minerva started to move after the hoverchair and its occupant.

[Andrewnuva199]

OOC: Atton, just thinking of French Fries, of all people, being one to pull "I'm pulling a Kangaroo Court to kill off some agents I don't like" is like one of the greatest examples of mood whiplash and/or gallows humor I've seen in the longest time this RPG, including Zach's jokes about the late Engineer.IC: In one of the security stations, Bluetooth was assisting some men in rewiring the connections to a couple of the sentries Engineer had set up just before he was killed. The mole, who was revealed by the word going around to be Ata, seemed to have jammed its internal computer that had nigh-completely fried its programming. A couple of mechanics were working to try and reconfigure the sentries, having a bit of difficulty due to not quite understanding the late Engi's impressive methods of building them, but were steadily making progress.What Bluetooth was doing was making sure the connection would be working right once the sentries were brought back online. It was simple enough, since Futuron had far more complicated ways of connecting networks, but it was still tedious, especially since the technology was in need of replacement after the beatings a bomb drop and a schism had done to the various parts of the security stations."Okay, I believe I have all the circuit breakers reset and the connections reestablished to the ports," Bluetooth told the crew. "Once the engis get back to you with their work on the sentries, call me on my communicator, and I'll get back to you.""Alright," said one of the security agents. "Thanks for the help. The sooner we recover from that mole's sabotage, the better."Departing from the room, Bluetooth began feeling parched, and began looking towards one of the locations he thought they had a vending machine. But as he rounded a corner, he encountered an agent who looked slightly familiar, a black piece of cloth hanging on his head."Pardon me," he said, "I must be getting to lunch.""Sorry, um..." Bluetooth paused, trying to remember the guy's codename."It's French Fries," he said with seriousness. "Now if you'll excuse me-""Wait, I know you!" Bluetooth then remembered. "You're the cool dude Zenna reported as forcing to expose the Antarctica mission! How the heck are you still here?""Oh, please. That's all just a big misunderstanding our enemies created to discredit us. I've done nothing but good civil services to keep our team in the right of way."Bluetooth wasn't impressed by this man who was sounding less and less sane by the minute. "I see... what's with the cap?""Oh, that?" the agent said, removing it from his head in the process. "I just came back from judging a treason case. A couple of agents from Adventurers' Island got themselves in a mighty bit of trouble, as I'm sure you know.""What, you mean like Lutsky? He's already in the brig, suffering from a couple of mental conditions, not unlik-""Oh, no no no no no. I mean agents Rotor and Pilot of course.""What?!" Bluetooth cried. He recalled the case back at the camp where Rotor had tried to get several agents executed for disobeying his controversial order to fire on the XERRD Fortress during the final stages of attack. He knew Rotor, although given some pardon after the camp ambush, had committed enough unorthodox deeds to get back into trouble, but he doubted any trial of his should be overseen by such an oddball like French Fries, let alone one that would still see Pilot as still in the wrong for his disobedience."Yes, and they have been found guilty, and will be shot at dawn tomorrow. A fit punishment, I think, for having the bright idea of disobeying a superior's orders, or executing one's own men, or running from their posts, or freeing-""ARE YOU MAD?!!" Bluetooth cried out, barely containing himself from shoving the undeserving Elite Agent into the wall. "I CAN'T EVEN BEGIN TO TELL YOU HOW STUPID YOU ARE!! FIRST ANTARCTICA, AND NOW THIS!!? HOW ARE YOU STILL HERE!?!"French Fries was completely taken aback, but quickly gained some amount of composure back, and began looking displeased. "Are you in question of my judgement, agent?""You..." Bluetooth said, his frustration now only barely contained, as he waved his index finger at the man's face. "You... are so fired." With that, he ran down the hall, making a beeline for a nearby water fountain. Stopping, he took a long drink from it, beginning to let his nerves cool down and senses return.French Fries was an cool dude, but an cool dude with enough followers to be able to pull off stunts like this. He couldn't simply be taken down by a couple agents. This had to be made widespread throughout the team. And there was only one way to do it.Bluetooth pulled out his PDA and began typing out a message.Agents of Dino Attack, Elite Agent French Fries is at it again!The last time this man decided to take a major action, the Antarctica mission was exposed, causing mass riots in the refugee camps and a needless schism between our idealist and realist sympathizers that nearly crippled our leadership!Now he's taken to taking charge of our personal criminal justice system! Agents Rotor and Pilot, who both ended up on the wrong side of our prosecution system at various times during the Adventurers' Island mission, were treated to a "trial" organized, judged and ruled over by French Fries himself! He has seen it fit to declare them guilty, and have them killed by gunfire in the morning! This is a horrid choice of behavior and unruly mockery of justice, no matter who is being punished here! I implore everyone, from our lowest rank rookies to our Founding Leaders, to do what they can to stop this madman before dawn, and save two of our men from a despicable fate!-Standard Agent BluetoothHe then set it to send to all agents with the All-Agents-Bulliten alert setting, and pressed Send as hard as he could.

[Jacks]

OOC:

Actually, if I remember correctly, Frozeen never met Loop, but Loop and General Evil did work together at one point.

Really? I seem to recall Loop attacking Frozeen and some other agents in an evacuated Ogel Undersea HQ. Maybe I'll have to dig through the old thread myself.IC: Katerina waited for several minutes before Agent Hotwire finally handed over three wires with the insulation stripped away for about four inches. She nodded in gratitude and carefully grasped the wire between her palms. Immediately a flood of data raced into her mind, and she absentmindedly stared at the ceiling while she began sifting through it. First she narrowed her field to security footage from the day so far. Blackouts over the deaths of the Second Headquarters Squad, Trigger's violent outbursts, Zelda and Nazareno sparring, and so forth. She raised an eyebrow when the timestamps of two bits of footage revealed Specs to have been in entirely different areas of the building simultaneously. Most likely a glitch. It wasn't important, anyway. What mattered was Lupus Schattenberg: where he'd been and where he was. She was rewarded quickly as she located the mess hall footage during her confrontation with Bogart. And there was Lupus, now unmistakable despite the DA uniform and the bandanna. She focused her mind's eye on him, and when he exited, she sorted through the footage that followed it chronologically, narrowing her field even more to track his movements throughout the building. Once satisfied, she handed the wires back to Hotwire. The entire process had taken approximately seven seconds."So where's he get to?" Hotwire asked as he re-insulated the wires as best he could."The most current footage revealed Lupus Schattenberg near the interrogation rooms," said Katerina. "He appeared to be confronting a masked figure dressed in the uniform of an Ogel Drone."------------------------Swerve was beginning to feel a bit more like himself -- or at least less like not-himself. The thick gloves did a fairly decent job of obscuring the skeletal thinness of his hands, and the balaclava and dark goggles concealed his bare skull completely. He still had to get rid of the horrid uniform, though. If memory served him properly, the barracks were this way. Perhaps there'd be a spare uniform that would fit a skeleton.The oddest thing by far about the last several months since his transformation --and that bit was still something of an enigma -- was that he'd experienced only positive emotions while oblivious to his past life. A defense mechanism, perhaps? Or perhaps not, as negative emotions had been commonplace enough for the last hour or so; he was choking some back at that moment, as the memory of Mort's look of utter disgust popped into his mind.This was what took his mind off of his surroundings, and this inattentiveness was what allowed him to be grabbed by the arms from behind and hauled into an empty briefing room. He tried to struggle, but his multiple cracked bones made this difficult. Within seconds he was tied to a chair."Calm down. I just want to talk," his assailant said, walking around to where Swerve could see him. The Alpha Team agent-turned-drone stiffened in recognition. The face was familiar, though he couldn't see the third eye due to the grey bandanna tied around his attacker's head, but what tipped him off was the subtle buzz he felt in the air, as though the minifig before him were a live wire."Been a while, hasn't it, Swervy?" said Loop.

[that guy from that show]

OoC: Fine I admit I made a mistake! Sue me! These events will be retconed to early 2010.iC City, 2010Rain and wind rushed into Charlie “Hertz” Schultz’s home with a viscous tenacity. The wooden splinters of his front dour stood at the feat of the shadowy intruder as he sniffed the air and slowly started to descend the steps.Lightning flashed and Hertz was able to get a brief glimpse of who the intruder was. A black helmet with a green visour covered any facial features. Some inner light aluminated the face shield giving off an early green glow.He wore a dirty white jumpsuit with black sleeves and a logo was set in an octagonal field plastered to the figure’s chest. In his hand was the shadow of a gun.Hertz huddled under the shadow of his desk as the figure navigated his cluttered room. He assumed that he had some form of night vision based on the ease he navigated the labyrinth of wires and equipment. It was only a matter of time before he was found and Hertz had to think fast.In his shaking hand he held the type. He had no idea what information it contained but the reference to Paradox and the Mealstrom was enough to disturbed him greatly. It was the ramblings some estranged scientist, of that Hertz was sure, and he was positive that the events and organization the tape hinted at would lead to a catastrophe that Lego planet had never before witnessed.Powerful men wanted this tape and based on the men he had resaved it from it may be too late to keep it from falling into the wrong hands. Hertz assumed that at this point in time he was the only person who had glimpsed its contents making him a very valuable individual.The figure walked by Hertz’s hiding place. He held his gun, (Which Hertz could now tell was a laser gun) out before him as he probed the dark shadows of the room.Hertz had to destroy the tape. To spite what others may say, he was not the only person with the ability to decode it. With enough money and resources anything could be accomplished.Carefully Hertz’s hand slid out from the shadows to the top of his desk. He thought there might be a soda that he had been drinking and it would be enough to ruin the tape.His hand grasped the aluminum cylinder and he gratefully pulled down the can. Hertz prepared to pour the contents onto the tape, he hated to destroy such knowledge but it was the only option that presented itself.Then the desk he was hiding under exploded. Wooden splinters rained down upon him and he was thrown across the room to collide with a power station and slump to the floor. Slivers of wood were imbedded in his arm and his shirt was stained red from the hundreds of cuts from the deadly shrapnel.Hertz still held the tape and the can of Soda in his hands. They both stung from the slivers and he feebly tried to finish the job.The introducer stood over him holding his smoking gun. The mussel was directed at Hertz’s head and the finger hovered over the trigger.“Hand over the tape Mr. Schultz.,” said the man. “I would have no regrets about killing you. My organization cares nothing about collateral damage as long as the mission is successful.”“Who are you?” asked Hertz. “What is this all about.”Threw the visor of the helmet Hertz was able to see the red haired individual. He smiled. “Ordinarily I don’t like to divulge that sort of thing but since you will probably die from blood loss anyway, I don’t see the harm.”Hertz nodded; if he could keep the stranger talking long enough he may create enough time to destroy the tape. “I work for an organization called Blacktron.” Said the intruder. “Perhaps you figured that out from the giant B plastered to my chest. Our leader, (who shell remain anonymous) has been monitoring a man named Dr. Rex and your employer for some time.”“What?” asked Hertz. “Who is Dr. Rex? Who hired me?”“The man who hired you is very wealthy Mr. Schultz. An Englishmen who has amassed an incredible fortune over the last few decades, he is a far-reaching individual and has hundreds of loyal employees at his disposal. He too has been keeping tapes on Dr. Rex and the Mealstrom.”The intruder chuckled. “I’m glad you will die with at least some of the answers Mr. Schultz. Unfortunately it seems I am to leave you with more questions. Now give me the tape Hertz, I will not ask again.”Hertz’s pulled out the can of Soda and positioned it over the tape. “I’ll pour this on the tape.” Threatened Hertz. “You’re never know the what it says.”“Do you think a little carbonated water is enough to stop blacktron?” said the intruder with a flash of anger. “We are omnipotent Mr. Shultz, anything you destroy we will rebuild. We have not endured the decades to be trumped by a measly radio operator with a can of pop!”Hertz prepared to dump the contents of the can but the Blacktron intruder lunged. The force of the gun pummeled Hertz’s head and the tape was town away.The blacktron agent held the tape gleefully and removed his helmet to whip the sweat from his brow. “You are a pathetic individual Mr. Schultz, You are week and forgettable. No one will know that your last moments of life were wasted fighting for a lost…”The blacktron agent was interrupted as his back was peppered with the shoots from a automatic weapon. Blood spat from his mouth and his bloody corpse fell forward to land on Hertz.A curved woman stepped threw the open dour in a form fitting blue jumpsuit. In her hand was a smoking Uzi that she shoved in her hip holster as she walked down the steps.Hertz pushed the body of the blacktron agent aside and attempted to rise to his feet but he still felt week from the shrapnel. The tape was still in the intruder’s hands and Hertz desperately tried to reach for it before the new stranger took it.She held out a hand. “No.”Hertz hesitated. “Are you with the Englishmen?” he asked. “Blacktron? Dr. Rex?”“No.” she said. “My name is agent Trace of the Agents Defense Organization. I am here to confiscate that tape.”“How do I know I can trust you people?” asked Hertz desperately. “How do I know you won’t take the tape and kill me?”“An ambulance is on the way to attend to you’re injuries.” She said. “The two men who hired you have been taken care of. Our origination with insure your safety as long as you say nothing about the contents of that tape and what transpired tonight.“What is this all about?” asked Hertz. “Who are these people? Who is Dr. Rex? What is the Dino attack?”Trace seemed to consider for a moment before responding. “We have reason to believe that latter this year there with be an epic calamity. We don’t know what exactly it entails yet but based on resent reports from Nexus force it may involve the mealstrom.”“The Mealstrom?” asked Hertz. “I thought it was isolated to the Nimbus system.”“It’s on the move and it may already be here.” Said Agent Trace. “That is why it is imperative that we review this tape before it’s too late.”Trace held out a hand and waited for Hertz to hand it over. He gazed at the simple reels of the devise and pondered what events would ultimately unfold because of him. He was now part of something that would shake the planet to its core and he could not walk away now. If these Agents believed they could stop it he would not get in their way.Hertz placed the tape in Traces hand.She smiled. “Thank you Mr. Schultz. Thanks to you that Blacktron agent was stalled long enough for us to get here. I don’t know what would have happened if he had brought this back to his master. We will review the contents and do what we can.”Trace helped Hertz to his feet and escorted him over to a chair. “Is there anything I can do to help?” he asked.“Enlist.” Said Trace. “Personally I believe there will be a war, and they will need smart men like you. You will have the opportunity to be part of something big, don’t let that chance pass you by.”She shook Hertz’s hand and walked up the dark steps to the broken dour. Red and Blue sirens flashed outside and a medic passed by Trace as she vanished into the storm.The medic shown a flashlight into the room and found Hertz’s bloody form in the chair. He quickly ran over and pressed a hand to Hertz’s brow.“My name is John Michael Dorian. We need to get you to Sacred Heart hospital right away.” The doctor helped Hertz from his chair and helped him up the wet steps“What about that man from Blacktorn?” asked Hertz“What man from Blacktron?” said Dorian. “It seems to be that one of your costumed friends from ComicCon was unfortunate enough to be near your desk when it exploded.”“But why would my desk explode? Why would he be full of bullets?” asked HertzJ.D. Shrugged. “I don’t know, that’s all the story the Agents’ gave me.”.

[avmatoran]

OOC:Ouch, I was unclear in the flashback. Better rectify it.IC:Dr. Cyborg was puzzled. What was wrong with Amanda? He replayed the conversation in his mind (literally). Oh, scrap. That's what she was mad about. She thinks I was glad they were murdered! I really put my foot in my mouth. Oh, brother, I better fix this, and fast. He went looking for Amanda. He found her and Frozeen at the mail room."Amanda, I wish to apologize. I was not happy they were murdered. I was merely happy about the NXT model missing, and the havoc her infiltration caused. I would have liked it better if nobody was killed. I can see Venamosa is a touchy subject for you. I apologize for seeming to be happy she killed people." Amanda nodded. Dr. Cyborg turned and left, unsure if she forgave him or not.As he walked down the hallway, he began to think. She knows Walter Breen hired Venamosa. Only Venamosa, Breen, and the members of XERRD he bragged to would know that. She also really didn't like me seeming to like Venamosa's murders. I wonder...

[Atton Rand]

OOC: Atton, just thinking of French Fries, of all people, being one to pull "I'm pulling a Kangaroo Court to kill off some agents I don't like" is like one of the greatest examples of mood whiplash and/or gallows humor I've seen in the longest time this RPG, including Zach's jokes about the late Engineer.

OOC: Technically, it would actually be black comedy, but how exactly is it a mood whiplash?

[PeabodySam]

OOC:

Either that, or Rex's insanity is showing again.

As interesting as that prospect would be, I admit, it wasn't the idea I had in mind.

Really? I seem to recall Loop attacking Frozeen and some other agents in an evacuated Ogel Undersea HQ. Maybe I'll have to dig through the old thread myself.

Never mind, you are correct; I had forgotten about that encounter, but now that you remind me that it took place in the Ogel Undersea Headquarters, I remember it now.

Ouch, I was unclear in the flashback. Better rectify it.

Don't worry, avmatoran. You don't need to apologize to me. You just wanted to know how Rex and Amanda would respond to what Dr. Cyber said, and so I gave you an honest answer.IC: Rex piloted the hover-chair through the hallways of Dino Attack Headquarters, trying to pursue the fleeing Ata. As he caught more and more glimpses of the XERRD mole darting from shadow to shadow, he became more and more sure that it was him and not some trick of the mind. Unfortunately, even after the hover-chair was fully-repaired by Dr. Cyborg, this was the first time Rex ever tried chasing someone with it, and it was not something he picked up on quickly.Behind him, Rex became aware that a small crowd of followers were pursuing him in return. First, there was Zachary Virchaus and Minerva Fabello. Behind them, Frozeen and Amanda struggled to catch up. Rex overheard a quick exchange between Zachary and Frozeen as the latter explained that Rex had taken Zed Provhezor's hover-chair after the Maelstrom Temple battle."What exactly are we doing?" yelled Minerva as she ran."It's Ata!" Rex quickly shouted over his shoulder. "He's escaped!""Ata?" wondered Zachary. "The communications expert? What about-""The mole!" Frozeen quickly filled Zachary and Minerva in on the news. Evidently, while word was slowly spreading around that Attila Hunstman was the traitor, it hadn't reached the ears of Zachary or Minerva yet. "He's actually a XERRD shinobi... it's not surprising that he could find a way to slip out of the high-security imprisonment!""Th' mole be a shinobi?" Rex became aware of an older, grizzled, and familiar voice join those behind him. "Th' same mole that caused them Antarctica riots? Blow me down, I be shiverin' me timbers if I don't help ye shoot down that bilge rat, says I!""Great to have your help, Greybeard!" responded Rex. "I think he's headed for the lobby!""Tell you what, Rex!" decided Frozeen. "Amanda and I'll go this way and meet you there! Hopefully we can surround him and catch him before it's too late!""Sounds good to me!" agreed Rex.As Amanda and Frozeen left the main group and took a detour, Rex, Zachary, Minerva, and Greybeard continued the pursuit for another few minutes. The only way Rex could be sure of where they were going was based upon the occasional glimpse of Ata slipping from shadow to shadow. As a shinobi, his skills of sneaking around and avoiding security systems were greater than normal; Frozeen was right, Rex realized, as nearly any security system would be no good in holding Ata.At last, just before reaching the lobby, Rex heard the sound of a flintlock pistol firing just as Ata emerged from one shadow. Greybeard's aim was true, and Ata stumbled. "Hah!" barked Greybeard. "Ye shinobi think that ye be so invincible! That we buccaneers don't stand a chance against ye! Well, think again, matey!"Still, Ata was nearly out of the building, and with surprising perseverance, he continued to flee with uncanny speed. As he saw Ata enter the lobby, Rex feared for a moment that they were too late and that Ata would escape. By the time Rex, Zachary, Minerva, and Greybeard entered the lobby, Ata was already at the doors. "No!" shouted Rex.At the last possible second, an elderly man in a black suit who was sitting on a chair by the doors bolted out of his seat and extended his arm in a horizontal chopping motion, slamming it into the neck of Ata. The XERRD shinboi, caught by surprise, was knocked backward upon the floor and gasped for breath. As Rex and his friends approached Ata's fallen form, the old man lowered his arm and stared at them.Greybeard stood over Ata's body and glared down upon him with his one good eye. "So," he hissed, "ye be th' mole responsible for th' Antarctica riots. Ye be th' one who stirred violence in th' Dino Attack Team and in th' refugee facilities, endangerin' us all in th' process. What cowardly scum ye be! It be time fer ye to dance a fine dance tonight!"Then, before Rex, Zachary, or Minerva could stop him, Greybeard fired his flintlock pistol again. This time, he silenced Ata's gasps forever.Before Rex could find any words to say to Greybeard, Frozeen and Amanda arrived. "Ah, good!" panted Frozeen. "It looks like you got hi... Oh, my.""Ye can't lock up a shinobi," grumbled Greybeard, "an' he deserved t' be punished fer what he did.""We did have some help, though," added Zachary. "If it weren't for him..." He trailed off, and everyone looked in the direction he pointed; Minerva, Rex, and Greybeard with surprise, and Frozeen and Amanda with confusion.The old man that they had seen... had disappeared.OOC: Unfortunately, I can't write anything more tonight. Tomorrow, you'll learn more about the old man who stopped Ata.

[avmatoran]

OOC:I know. My character, who I base off of myself, seemed heartless, and by extension, I did.

[Atton Rand]

OOC: I don't have much else to do, so until I can figure out what to do with Montoya (his being stuck in prison makes it hard to develop his story with Silencia), or find something for Sarah or Kate Bishop to be doing, I thought I'd write some humorous reactions to the Andrewnuva's post.IC: "Hey, what's this," Dude said curiously as he reached into his baggy shorts and pulled out a dusty PDA. "Agents of Dino Attack," he started to read. "Agent French Fries is at it ag-""What kind of name is that?" Walter asked. "Agent French Fries. How is that a guy like him became an Elite Agent, and YET WE ALL HAD TO STAY IN ZNAPPING ANTARCTICA BECAUSE OF YOUR STUPID CODENAME!""Hey guys," said a sudden voice from behind. Everyone turned to see a filthy, dirty, short man in uniform with a great big smile on his face."Who are you?" Dude asked."Agent Baldrick sir," replied the man. "Look, I just got this funny message I wanted to show you."He walked up to the prison and handed the PDA to agent Pyro, who sighed and took it."You looked a bit down so I thought this might cheer you up," replied Baldrick. "It's hilarious."Pyro took a moment to read it before tossing it back out. "I'm pretty sure that's not supposed to be funny," she said with a monotone voice."Are you kidding?" Replied Baldrick. "It's the most hilarious joke I've ever read in my life."

Edited July 11, 2012 by Atton Rand

[PeabodySam]

OOC: Alright, Atton, I'll lend you a hand.IC: Montoya heard the security doors to the detention block open. A Dino Attack agent who looked like a shameless knock-off of Indiana Jones approached his cell and casually leaned against the bars. "G'day, mate," grinned the Dino Attack agent. "Now, you're the one they call Montoya, eh?"Montoya looked up with surprise. "Err, yes," he nodded. "That's me.""Well, today's your lucky day!" the Dino Attack agent clapped his hands together. "The name's Rick, but the folks round here know me as Elite Agent Adventure. And, as an Elite Agent, I have the authority to pardon you and set you free."Suspicious, Montoya raised an eyebrow. "Why would you free me?" he wondered.As he unlocked Montoya's door, Adventure shrugged. "I don't know the full story, but Amanda Claw put in a good word for you and said I could set you free. She said that you owed her a favor or something like that."Could it be? thought Montoya. With hesitation, he asked: "I'm afraid I don't know anyone by that name. Maybe if you could tell me what she looks like...?"Adventure smiled to himself. "That sheila is might pretty, I tell you. I'd say she's likely in her mid-twenties. Got long brown hair, usually tied in a ponytail. Kinda quiet, though; she doesn't speak much unless it's necessary. She's also got some high-ranking friends, like that honcho Rex who manages to stay in the action while sitting in a wheelchair, and from what I hear, she's quite skilled with a knife. I can respect that; there's nothing quite like going on an adventure and cutting your way out of primate-infested jungles in a macho fashion with explosions in the background while..."As Adventure continued to ramble, Montoya thoughts turned grim. Based upon that description, Amanda Claw had to be Silencia Venomosa. Which meant that the only reason that she sent Adventure to set him free would be so that he could talk to Trigger. That must have been the favor she was referring to."... and a monkey named Vladimir Bananas flying off into space. Ah! There we go!" Adventure opened the cell door and tipped his hat in Montoya's direction. "You're free to go, Montoya!"

*****

"I be tellin' ye!" muttered Greybeard as he walked alongside Frozeen. "Thar be an elderly fellow who helped us take down th' mole. I did not imagine it, says I! Rex, Zachary, and Minerva say they saw 'im too!""Right," frowned Frozeen, "and he just mysterious vanished right before Amanda and I walked in?""Aye," nodded Greybeard, "as strange as it sounds."Frozeen sighed. "You know, I'd think that, after growing up on LEGO Island, joining the Alpha Team, and experiencing the Dino Attack, I'd be used to strange things like this. Still, experience does not make it any easier to comprehend. He wasn't... pale or translucent or anything, was he? I sure hope there aren't any ghosts haunting Dino Attack Headquarters now." He shuddered at that thought."It be this room to yer left," pointed Greybeard.Together, they entered the room where Greybeard left Mary Rose during the pursuit of Ata. They were surprised to find that the little girl was not alone, but accompanied by Shadow, Digger, and a female Dino Attack agent in a wheelchair. Mary Rose was sitting on a table, and the wheelchair-bound agent sat in front of her, speaking with Shadow and Digger."... is true, then we should not be relieved that Mutant Dinos have been appearing less and less frequently in LEGO City. The families and businesses that have returned to LEGO City from Antarctica have put themselves in danger. And-"The female Dino Attack agent turned to see the newcomers enter the room. "Oh," she muttered, as her face turned to a bitter expression. "It's you.""What?" Greybeard raised an eyebrow, confused. He turned to ask Frozeen if he knew what she was talking about, and saw that Frozeen was quite flustered.Swallowing hard, Frozeen managed to say: "Oh! Um... hello again. It's, uh, been a while.""Indeed," agreed the female Dino Attack agent, "it has been 'a while'.""I be sorry," apologized Greybeard, "but I don't exactly Remember Th' New Guy, so, err, could someone fill me in so me timbers belay their shiverin'?""Right," nodded Shadow. "After the revelation of Ata's true loyalties, we had to promote someone else to the position of leading technology and communications expert, and this young woman here seemed fit for the task.""And her name be...?" inquired Greybeard.The Dino Attack agent wheeled herself over towards Frozeen and Greybeard. "As Peter and I have known each other since middle school," she explained, "we don't need to exchange formalities. However, as you and I have only just met, Greybeard, it is only fair of me to introduce myself. I am Shannon Grimton, leading technology expert with a degree in biomedical studies, and only daughter of the late Gromit Grimton, who served Alpha Team under the nickname of 'Gromtin' before perishing in Mission Deep Freeze."OOC: Sorry for those who were waiting to learn more about the old man. Exchanging formalities with him will have to wait until either later tonight or tomorrow.

[Brikman McStudz]

IC:OOC: Just a random guess, but I'm think the old man is Ben Gunn. And he's the Chekhov's MIA."That was exciting," Minerva said to Zach as they made their way to the mess hall."I would say so," Zach responded absently. "Guess we found the mole. And and now he's dead thanks to Greybeard.""I don't know if killing him was necessary.""No, but he had a point. If Ata can slip out of a high-security prison once, he can do it again. Getting killed in an unceremonious fashion is more than fitting for mole that helped cause everything from the riots in Antarctica to the deaths of the Second Headquarters Squad.""I suppose." They finally reached the mess hall and found Zelda Frodongan and Kareem Nazareno at a table, Zelda consuming a snack while Nazareno sat in front of her, unable to eat due to his mask. As they approached, Zach noticed that Zelda had a sheath on her back that concealed two silver katanas."Greetings, Zachary and Minerva," Nazareno said plainly, not turning to face the two. Zelda grinned."Hello, Nazareno. Zelda," Zach said, taking a seat next to Nazareno while Minerva took a seat next to Zelda. "Getting one step closer to becoming a ninja, aren't you Zelda?""Unfortunately, the swords in the armory do not even begin to match the quality of mine," Nazareno said. "This swords will suffice, but barely. That is why I suggest carrying a firearm on your person just in case.""Yes, yes," Zelda said. "So, did you two hear they caught the mole?""Yes," Zach said. "We watched him get killed by Greybeard.""And why did the pirate shoot Ata?" Nazareno said, closing his eyes and keeping his voice controlled."He was escaping. He was a XERRD Shinobi. Some old guy clothes-lined him and Greybeard finished him off. From my interpretation, Greybeard seems to dislike Shinobi as much as you dislike Pirates.""Of course," Nazareno muttered. "And who was the old man that stopped Ata from escaping?""We don't know," Minerva said. "He stopped Ata and then he just sort of...disappeared.""Curious. I wonder where he could've run off to?" Nazareno shrugged. "So the mole is dead. Good. One less issue to deal with. With him gone, we should be able to move on to the team's next assignment soon enough.""What do think the team will do next?" Zelda asked."Unless another urgent issue rises that needs to be dealt with, a final conflict with XERRD is on the horizon. One that will decide to the victor of this war. It could be anywhere at anytime, but it will happen. Very soon."

[Atton Rand]

OOC: Hang on, one slight plot hole I've noticed. Montoya never said his name to anybody, so how is it that Bogart and Adventure know who he is?IC: "Oh 'allo sir," Baldrick said as he turned toward Montoya."Hey," replied Montoya."You've just got out of prison," said Baldrick."Yeah," replied Montoya. "Your point is?"I've got something here," replied Baldrick. He held out a dirty sack."Breakfast," Montoya asked sarcastically."That was just a brilliant dead herring," replied Baldrick."Red Herring," Montoya corrected. "The phrase is red herring.""What I've got here, is an escape kit!""Ah yes," replied Montoya. "I'm sure a small painted wooden duck will come in handy, as will two robin hood costumes, a pencil, and a miniature trumpet.""How'd you know that?" Baldrick asked."These cells aren't soundproof," replied Montoya. "I could hear you pretty easily in there. I also won't be needing that since I've just been released. That's why I'm not in my cell. By the way, I wouldn't go talking about these things right in front of a cop."Montoya motioned toward Vinyaya, who seemed to be watching Baldrick with a look of irritation."Oh well," replied Baldrick. "Suit yourself, I'm going to go complement that one guy on his great joke."Baldrick looked at his PDA again. "Agent... Bluh...eh...tuhth. I'm going to go speak to him."Montoya sighed as he turned and walked toward the door.

***

Agent Bluetooth was rather surprised when a short, dirty, filthy fellow with missing teeth and a great big smile walked up to him.

"Are you agent Bluhehtuhth?" Baldrick asked.

"What?" replied Bluetooth confusedly.

"Agent Bluhehtuth," replied Baldrick. "I just wanted to say I liked your joke."

"What joke?" Replied Bluetooth.

"The one you sent to everybody in the base about the guy named French Fries. I especially like the punch line- 'I implode everyone, from our founding rookies to lowest leaders, to do what they can to stop this madman before dawn'- it was the funniest joke I'd ever seen in my entire life!"

***

French Fries excitedly sat down at one of the tables in the cafeteria with a large plate full of food. "This is looking good, Darling," he said to the agent there.

"Yes," replied Darling, somewhat embarrassed by his name.

"Tell me," said French Fries, taking a large bite out of his food. "How are we doing in the field?"

"Pretty good so far," replied Darling.

"Have you tried out my plan yet?" Asked French Fries.

"What you mean the one where everyone gets out of the base and walks really slowly toward the army of mutant dinosaurs?"

"That's the one, yes."

"Unfortunately no," replied Darling. "I've run into a slight flaw with that one. You see, no matter what way we try it everyone always gets slaughtered in the first ten seconds."

"Oh dear," replied French Fries. "I think we're going to have to boost the morale of the men!"

Edited July 12, 2012 by Atton Rand

[avmatoran]

OOC:Well, the mole hunt is over. PeaSam, could you look at my PM now? Also, I'll be posting less for a while. I'm lost in peacetime.

[PeabodySam]

OOC: Hang on, one slight plot hole I've noticed. Montoya never said his name to anybody, so how is it that Bogart and Adventure know who he is?

OOC: Because Amanda knows his name. I don't exactly know how Bogart would know (most likely, Amanda would have told Bogart off-screen, or told someone who told Bogart off-screen), but seeing as Amanda talked to Adventure (off-screen) about Montoya's release, it's very likely that she told him Montoya's name.IC: Rex's chair floated beside Amanda as they left the Dino Attack lobby. Rex was still shaking his head about what just happened. He was shocked that Greybeard had taken it upon himself to be Ata's judge and executioner, but seeing as Greybeard was a pirate and a realist, it did not come as something completely unexpected. That, and as much as Rex hated to admit it, Greybeard's apparent animosity towards ninja allowed him to bring up a valid point: if Ata was such a skilled shinobi that he could escape Dino Attack's highest security prison, no doubt he could do it again.Still, Rex could not believe how quickly Ata had seemingly changed in the past twenty-four hours. From a trusted technology and communications expert... to a XERRD shinobi and infiltrator... to yet another death brought about by this war.Wanting to take his mind off the subject of Ata, Rex was about to ask Amanda a question when they both suddenly stopped. The old man in the black suit appeared before them. He walked towards them, taking long strides with every step, and stopped in front of Rex's hover-chair. "I need to speak with you in private," he spoke to Rex. "It's very urgent matters."Amanda narrowed her eyes, and Rex, taking notice of this, bit his lip. "I'd... feel a little safer if my companion Amanda was with me while we spoke," Rex explained. "We've just had some problems with trust and security, and while you did help solve these problems (thank you, by the way), I'd just feel more comfortable if-""Very well, then," nodded the elderly man. "Now, come in here with me. We haven't much time to talk about this."Rex and Amanda traded glances, but followed the old man as he entered the broom closet. The bulk of Rex's hover-chair made the space a little tight and claustrophobic, and the lighting wasn't so good here, but it seemed to satisfy the old man.Now that they were closer, Rex could tell there were some things... off... about the elderly man. His black suit was brand-new... so brand-new, in fact, he forgot to take of the price tag. He stood tall and erect, but he also appeared dangerously thin, as though he was suffering from years of malnutrition. His skin was horribly pale, and was wrinkled on his face but stretched bone-tight on his hands. Aside from a few strands of silver-white hair that covered his scalp in an attempt to replicate a comb-over, the man was completely bald. Strangely, although he was shaven, it appeared that he had not done a very good job at it, as there were noticeable cuts on his cheeks and chin. There were also a number of larger cuts and prominent bruises on the old man's scalp and hands. His eyes were sunken deep into their sockets, with only a glint of light reflecting off their shiny surfaces to let Rex know that they still existed.But most of all, there was something familiar about the old man. Rex could not put his finger on it, but his appearance and his voice vaguely reminded him on someone he had once met. But surely, Rex thought to himself, if I ever met a Minifig like this before, I would remember.The elderly man cleared his throat. "I come to you," he explained, "bearing bad news from the Goo Caverns... knowledge of XERRD's current activities."Rex raised an eyebrow. "In the Goo Caverns? Sir, Dino Attack Team was down there just a few months ago, and we cleansed the caverns of Mutant Dinos and Dr. Inferno's forces... shortly before the caverns collapsed in a massive volcanic eruption. Why would XERRD be down in the Goo Caverns when their main base of operations is on Dinosaur Island?"The old man shook his head. "They were down in the Goo Caverns, holding a meeting in an outpost. I overheard their discussions, and one of the scientists mentioned that their Dino Island Laboratory was in ruins thanks the work of one known as 'the Brickster'."Rex blinked in surprise. "The Brickster? I don't believe it... so the Brickster-Bot invasion was a success, not a suicide mission.""They were most... displeased about the Brickster's work," continued the elderly man. "Especially the one that they called 'Dr. Rex', who appeared to be a Mutant T-Rex wearing silver armor and speaking plain English. In fact, throughout the entire meeting, Dr. Rex seemed like he was on the verge of an explosion. I overheard a few of the scientists murmuring among themselves: they think Dr. Rex has finally gone mad, but they are too afraid of him to say or do anything to stop him. At one point, they received a message from... oh, what were their names... ah, yes: Michelle Glados and Paulie Gonepus. That's when I learned about the Dino Island Laboratory; they were on their way back to that lab when the other scientists explained that the lab was destroyed.""So," muttered Rex, "looks like Glados and Gonepus got away after all.""They were not alone," elaborated the old man, "but of the scientists that contacted the XERRD outpost, they were the ones who spoke the most... I remember that Raul and Ingrid were with them too, but they did not speak as much. Quite interestingly, Glados was saying something about a 'Darkitect'. She was reporting that XERRD had lost a Maelstrom Temple, but was trying to explain that the whole Dino Attack was actually the work of a 'Darkitect' who was manipulating XERRD. Gonepus even dared to suggest that they quit while they were still ahead, to which a number of scientists in the Goo Caverns hushed him up, saying something along the lines of 'You don't want to know what happened when Dr. Wile Lee and Dr. Robert Nicholas suggested that to Dr. Rex'. Needless to say, Dr. Rex was outraged by the the talk of this 'Darkitect', proclaiming that 'he doesn't exist' and 'he's just a myth', asserting himself as XERRD's true leader, and declaring that XERRD's purpose was always to help destiny return the world to the dinosaur age. I suspect that the only thing that saved Gonepus's live was the fact that he was not in the same location as Dr. Rex when he made this suggestion.""Oh my Builder," murmured Amanda. "The Darkitect has really destroyed his mind.""Indeed," agreed Rex, bitterly. "He was once a gentleman-like scientist. Now, he's reduced to being MegaBlokLand-bent upon destroying the world... without even knowing it.""But that's not even the worst news," the elderly man shook his head. "Dr. Rex was downright furious upon learning the news from Glados and Gonepus; in addition to the loss of the Maelstrom Temple and the so-called 'rumors' of the Darkitect, he learned that his trusted second-in-command was actually a Dino Attack spy. In retaliation, he ordered that someone send a message to someone named Attila Huntsman to begin destroying the Dino Attack Team's morale, and then... and then Dr. Rex proclaimed the following message.""When the sun sets on December 21, 2010... Dino Attack Headquarters shall come crashing down... the courage of Dino Attack Team shall fail... and the age of Minifig civilization shall end!"Rex's eyes widened. He turned to Amanda and inquired, "What's today's date?"Biting her lip, Amanda checked her PDA. "December 20, 2010."Rex's heartbeat started to race. Clutching his chest in pain, Rex whispered in incredulity: "Tomorrow... he's planning an attack... and it's tomorrow!""I'm sorry that I could not have delivered this message sooner," the elderly man scratched his forehead. "Even for me, it takes some time to travel from the Goo Caverns to LEGO City, and I had to make myself a little more... presentable; I don't think they would have allowed someone who looked like a homeless bum to enter Dino Attack Headquarters and ask to speak with a high-ranking agent such as yourself. That, and I entered right in the middle of Huntsman's chaos, and I would have waited in the lobby for you, but I wanted to help track him down, so I tried to join in the mole hunt.""Oh wait," blinked Rex. "You're the one that Elizabeth Wilma referred to as 'Gun'."The old man chuckled. "Don't let my appearance deceive you, Rex. And don't let the fact that a couple tons of rock fell on my head and finally knocked some sense back into me fool you, either. I still might not remember my real name... but I sure remembered that little nickname that you and Greybeard bestowed upon me when we first met a few months ago."Rex's jaw dropped. When he found his voice, he could only manage to stutter two words in disbelief: "Ben Gunn?"

[avmatoran]

OOC:Oh, scrap. Tomorrow? Well, let's hope the Dino Attack team is prepared.

[Benton Kabrinsky]

OOC: Wow. I hope that the "tomorrow" falls after this weekend, otherwise I'll be kind of left out of the loop again due to family gatherings.IC:The boat had docked smoothly, but nothing was happening on the harbor front. B stood on the edge of the gangplank, not daring to take the first step onto the dock. Rob came up from behind him and tapped him on the shoulder."Lemme get this straight, B. They say that we can't come on shore because they think we're imposters, yet the let us dock here? Isn't that like saying to the wolf: Don't come into the barn, but I left the door wide open?""Ours not to wonder why, Rob. To be honest, I'm not sure what policy is when it comes to dealing with MIA/KIA agents, if they happen to show up. But, like the guy said, we need to be verified by someone confirmed to be alive and who also has a confirmed identity.""Oh, the bureaucracy," Rob said in mock horror."There's nothing I'd like more than to just walk back into HQ right now. But, we still need to follow protocol, no matter how stupid it seems. Look at Chris and Uncle Zeke, they're making the most of the time sparring. Come on, let's go a few rounds.""Alright, but go easy on me; I'm not quite as good at hand to hand combat as you are."B and Rob sparred for what seemed like hours, never keeping one style for longer than one punch or one blow. An uppercut followed by a kick, or maybe a judo hold repealed by a jab to the ribs. It was only a few minutes in when they ended the match."Good one, Rob. You're getting better at this.""You just have to know when to improvise, which is what they've been trying to teach me for years. I guess I finally picked up on that."OOC:I'm in a bit of a conundrum with my characters, as I need someone to verify their identities, and I don't want another npc to just come out of the woodwork. Could someone please handle that for me?

[Jacks]

OOC: Well crazy, I believe it's now afternoon, but considering the fact that it was morning a month and six pages ago, you probably won't miss too much.Also, given that I already have an NPC who has a knack for 'coming out of the woodwork' at the most opportune moments, feel free to bring Mort in to verify their identities; chances are they would have met at least once or twice in 2008.I'd do it myself, but I have a flashback to take care of.Finally, Ben Gunn. I for one never believed he was really dead. Still clinging to my unspoken theory of his true identity...IC: April 27th, 2010Swerve sat down gingerly on the side of the road and tried to remain calm. That lasted for all of seven seconds. He cursed in frustration. The mission was a failure.At least Spectrum, Talon, and Hotwire were safely on their way back to HQ. The road to Mt. Bricklake was too narrow for his Iron Predator, so he and Spectrum had set off on foot to try and raise the alarm personally. Unfortunately, a rockslide and a sprained ankle put an end to that quickly, separating the two of them and immobilizing Swerve. The PDAs and radios were still dead -- for all of Talon's promises of her brother's skill, that rookie Hotwire couldn't seem to keep the comms online for more than two minutes at a time.The Alpha Team agent could hear the pteranadons overhead. So much for saving Mt. Bricklake, he thought to himself, fighting off despair.This was interrupted when he heard footsteps behind him, and a voice that was all too familiar."Small world, isn't it? I hope you didn't think I'd forgotten about you."Swerve turned with some difficulty. The speaker was a broad-shouldered minifig with three eyes. "Loop," he growled. But...the uniform was wrong. The last time he'd confronted this mad mutant, he'd been fighting a servant of Ogel. Now, Loop was dressed in the orange garb of the henchmen of Dr. Inferno. "Can't even stay loyal to a competent villain, huh?"Loop laughed. "I'm loyal to nobody you know about. Fighting for Ogel served its purpose in time...and that's why I'm here now." He began circling Swerve. "You can do a lot of interesting things with electricity, you know." He snapped his fingers and sparks began to buzz up and down his arms. "Fry a person's mind to a crisp while leaving their body functioning perfectly, destroy software programs in the blink of an eye...or create a field to cancel out radio waves..." Swerve's eye's widened, and Loop grinned. "Yeah, I don't mean to brag, but that was all me. That Hotwire seems to be exceptional with wiring -- you can bet I'll be keeping an eye on him -- but it's all useless if the signal dissipates in seconds. But that's not all you can do with electricity. I've experimented quite a bit, you see, and one of my very favorite things to do," he said, walking around behind Swerve, "is paralyze someone." He placed one hand on Swerve's spine and emitted a jolt of electricity. Immediately, the Alpha Team agent went completely numb. "Much classier than ropes," said Loop. "Even when you tie someone up they can still struggle. Unfortunately, this is not a trick that will ever work on you again, old friend, because in a few minutes, you won't have any nerves at all. Literally."Swerve couldn't even move his eyes, so when Loop walked around behind a nearby boulder, the only evidence of the Inferno hechman's presence was his voice. "You should be flattered to know that I specifically selected you for this task, and suggested it to my commanding officer." He desperately tried to pick up the mutant in his peripheral vision. Within seconds his captor had returned, and Swerve gasped when saw what Loop had in his hands.The three-eyed minifig smiled darkly."Like I said, fighting in Ogel's army had its advantages."Loop was holding a Mind-Control Orb.

[Andrewnuva199]

OOC: I love it when things fall into place.IC: Bluetooth felt a weird range of emotions running through him. Shock, surprise, confusion, a bit of amusement. But what seemed to stand out the most was anger. Anger at this strange man seeming to take all he had said without any realization of the seriousness of the issue. It couldn't be contained.Completely out of nowhere, as the man began to snicker, the Futuron agent grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pushed him against the wall. "I. Was not. Kidding!" he growled at the man. "Two agents are going to die at dawn because of a madman with a silly name, unless people like you sober up and realize the gravity of the situation! This man is the reason lives were endangered during Digger's schism, he shouldn't even still be here! Do you understand, mister?!"The man, shocked and fearful of the sudden reacion, nodded his head up and down. Bluetooth let him go and stormed off towards the holding cells.The time for tomfoolery and distraction was over. Action had to be taken.--------As Andrew's party of three entered the mess hall, he contemplated what he had heard from Semick. Sure, it may seem just natural worry to be concerned about the town and what Dr. Rex might do next, but for some reason, the idea was sticking in his head.Thinking about it now, it did made him uneasy about how LEGO City was dino-free and recovering. As comforting as it was to see signs of the planet recovering, it almost seemed too comforting, like the reassurance given by the light at the end of a tunnel in spite of it belonging to an oncoming train.Semick was right. LEGO City, and more directly, Dino Attack Headquarters, seemed likely to be the focus of the next big, perhaps final, attack. And while it was impossible to know how or why it might happen, the important thing was to try and prepare for everything that could be conceived.The cries of someone familiar began to pull Andrew from his thought. Focusing on what his eyes could see, he could see Zach waving to him from a nearby table, Minerva, Nazareno, and another agent with swords on her back alongside him."Might as well sit down," Pterisa suggested. Andrew nodded and followed her and Laxus to the group."Been a good day for you guys?" Minerva asked as they sit down. "Pterisa, have you liked what you've seen today?""It's quite a nice building," she responded. "And I'm happy that the team has been accepting of me.""Mostly we've just be wandering around, watching movies, eating pizza, nothing special," said Laxus."Good to hear," said Zach. He glanced at Andrew's face, which was still looking somber from his thoughts about Semick's words. "You feeling alright, Andrew?""Oh, yeah, yeah, I have. It's just.... well, we talked to to Semick on the way down, and he's feeling a bit concerned about what's coming next.""What do you mean?" asked the female agent Andrew didn't recognize."Well, he's feeling anxiety from how LEGO City's been cleared to the point where the populace is rebuilding with great progress could mean something about XERRD's next attack. He's feeling that they'll try to hit us here in HQ, and that they'll try something we might not have a chance at beating.""Seems like a more or less normal concern to have," said Nazareno, "but a bad feeling isn't much to go on.""I know, but the more I think about it, the more I can't help but feel that same way. That something's coming to hit us here and hard. At the least, I suppose we can only prepare ourselves for the worse, but who knows what's going to happen next?"The group was silent as these words were thought over for a couple seconds. Then Andrew started up again. "Well, there's also other matters to think about. Did anyone else get Bluetooth's message?"Zach and his colleagues shook their heads. Laxus pulled out his PDA showed the group the latest All Agents Bulletin message. "It's a repeat of that incident with Rotor and the flight crew he wanted killed. Only this time the shoe's on the other foot, or so they say.""It's incredulous that things like this happen here of all places," said Andrew. "Somebody needs to find this 'French Fries' and have him arrested or something, and I hope those guys at the holding area are smart enough to find Rotor and Pilot and get them out of there."-------------After talking with Andrew's group, Semick had gone off to go look at the various points of the headquarters he felt might be important in case of an attack. There might not be any attack warnings coming in as of yet, but at the least, he could encourage people the start being more vigilant considering the risks.Currently he was in the hangers, talking to the mechanics and engineers about the state of their vehicle fleet. In regards to their numbers, they had been thinned out a bit after the missions, as was often expected. Several of the men were particularly annoyed that the Adventurers' Island team had lost fancy Renaissance T-2 Typhoon to gravity during the battle at Hotep III's temple, to the point where a team of mechanics had been flown out to try and get it airborne again. Semick could only wish good luck to them. Extra firepower and defense was always appreciated."So besides that," Semick said, "how are we looking?""Welp," said the guy in charge of management of the hangers, "our manufacturers'll have a few more T-1s flown in tonight, and the army's gonna have a few of their tank designers help with rebuildin' the IP scraps brought back from Castle Cove. I also hear rumors about Space Police sending in some kind flyin' warship called the Daedalus or somethin', but I'm pretty sure that's just a rumor the rookie are throwing around for fun. Otherwise, we're doing pretty swell, sir. Don't you worry 'bout nothin'.""Alright then," said Semick. "Keep up the good work."Walking back towards the headquarters proper, Semick was stopped by an agent who was running outside with a clipboard and one of those tablet devices under his arms. "Pardon me, but are you Elite Agent Semick?""That would be correct. Am I needed for something.""Just for a small task, but it requires some small travel. Our guy with the Coast Guard says some agents on the MIA list have arrived at the docks, and he's insistent we get someone to go and ID their authenticity. You up for it?""Sure, assuming it won't take long.""OK, good. And don't worry, it won't. We'll just grab a Fire Hammer, and we'll be off."Within a few minutes, Semick was then riding shotgun with the agent, heading towards the docks to check out these new arrivals.

[Atton Rand]

OOC: I would just like to make it clear that in regards to the French Fries story I am leaving what happens next entirely to everyone else. Do whatever you like to French Fries.IC: "Schiess?"Trigger turned in surprise to see the familiar face of his old partner. "Montoya," he said. "What the znap you doing here?""I got your message," replied Montoya. "Yeah," replied Trigger. "You didn't need to come here. I had everything under control. Silencia's running around this megablocking base killing everybody but this znapping team is too stupid to realize it.""I spoke to her," Montoya said. "I almost had her, but they caught me.""You let them get you Montoya," replied Trigger. "What kind of fool are you, you worthless megablocking son of a 4+.""I spoke to her," replied Montoya. "She told me she changed.""She told you that," replied Trigger. "You forget that she also told you that she was working with us before she killed Orange, Scorsese, Verbal, Deniro, and Keaton.""She's speaking now," replied Montoya. "There's something about her that's differ-""Obviously she's just trying to put you into a false sense of security. You're going to make up with her, and as soon as you turn around you're going to collapse on the ground with a znapping knife in your back."

[Brikman McStudz]

OOC: Aha! I was right about the old man! Ben Gunn is also the Chekhov's MIA, isn't he? I began to assume Ben Gunn wasn't dead when I noticed his wiki page lacked the "deceased" category.IC:What kind of name is French Fries? Zach thought, rolling his eyes. "It's ridiculous how many power-corrupted individuals we have on this team. How exactly did this French Fries become an Elite Agent? More importantly, how is he still an Elite Agent if he helped leak the Antarctica mission and helped create the whole pointless realist versus idealist war and the riots in the refuge facilities?""I don't know," Andrew said with a shrug. "Perhaps the Founding Members were too busy monitoring four on-going missions and forgot about him?""Probably," Nazareno said coldly. "Another kangaroo court. Involving the same people as last time." It was clear from Nazareno's tone that he was not amused."He wasn't impressed with Rotor's trial on Adventurers' Island," Minerva muttered to Zach. "He thought we were wasting time when we should have been heading to the Maelstrom Temple." Zach found Nazareno losing his temper hard to believe, but he was busy serving the Darkitect at that time, so he would just have to take Minerva's word for it."Wait, wait," Zelda said. "I'm not following. What trial on Adventurers' Island?""I suppose you didn't infiltrate the camp until my ambush," Zach said."Infiltrate?" Laxus asked."Zelda was a Stromling spy. I believe she interrupted a command meeting trying to send me information?"Andrew's eyes widened in realization. "So you were that Stromling? You were cured as well?"Zelda seemed somewhat embarrassed about her Stromling past. "In a more conventional way than Zach's cleansing, but yeah. So what about this trial?" Minerva, Nazareno, Laxus, and Andrew explained to Zelda the trial Rotor had attempted to put on to convict and execute Pilot and his crew."So how did you know about it?" Zelda asked Zach. "Did Ghost tell you?""He was very brief about it. No, I learned more by reading the database not long ago," Zach explained. "Now that we're all in the loop, I do hope somebody stops French Fries. Pilot isn't in the wrong for showing concern toward his teammates and even though Rotor sounds like a #####, he's been far more helpful to the team than French Fries, his own kangaroo court aside."

[Andrewnuva199]

IC: "What does he look like, anyways?" Pterisa asked. "I don't think any photos were attached to the message.""Hold on, let me see if I can get through to the database with this," said Laxus, looking down at his PDA. "The techies were working on a feature to allow the PDAs to uplink with it so people didn't have to search somewhere for a laptop.""Database access for useful information?" Minerva said jokingly. "There's an app for that, I guess."The group snickered at the joke as Laxus's PDA loaded up a screen saying "D.I.N.O. Attack Team Information Database V.34: Mobile Build V.1.45. Going to the "Search" funciton and typing "Agent: French Fries," he managed to get a bio page with a mugshot-like photo."Here, he said, showing the image on the PDA to the group. "Now we can put a face to the name. As strange as it is."Laxus glanced at Andrew, who was now looking around the mess hall. After a moment, he saw something somewhere behind Zach and Minerva's side of the table."I think I see him," he said, his voice now taking a bit of a quieter tone, perhaps to avoid a ruckus. "He's the one sitting by one other guy with a rather stuffed plate of food."The group turned to see what Andrew was looking at. Sure enough, there was an agent who matched the look of French Fries's image (though there were cases where people tended to see similarities between agents' faces. Once or twice, someone had told Andrew he looked a bit like the infamous Kotua) talking with another agent as he ate."I wouldn't advise too hasty action," Andrew suggested, "but I think we have to do something about him."

[Jacks]

IC: Katerina, Hotwire, and the two synthfigs hurried down the hallways to the briefing rooms. They didn't pass very many agents on their way; it seemed that most of those inside the base were occupied elsewhere, probably with the hunt for the mole. They soon reached the room where the camera footage had shown Loop, and burst inside.Loop was sitting in the wheeled office chair at the far end of the room, spinning idly."Lupus Schattenberg, this nonsense has come to an end," Katerina barked. "Executive override: basalt. Now stand and follow us out."Loop made a halfhearted attempt to rise from the chair, but then sat back and plopped his feet up on the desk. "Whoops, looks like I don't have to do what you say anymore. How about that?""Impossible," hissed Katerina. Hotwire began to draw his handgun, but Katerina shook her head."Isn't it, though?" Loop said, amused. "You'll love this bit, then. Executive override: seventh. Restrain them."Swerve, stripped of his balaclava, goggles, and gloves, stepped out of the shadows behind them with a length of rope and, in the blink of an eye, had it looped around Hotwire, pinning the DINO agent's arms down. Swerve pulled the rope tight and knotted it securely."Septimus?" Hotwire exclaimed, shocked. The drone pulled out a strip of cloth and tied it around Hotwire's mouth to silence him.Katerina assumed a combat stance. "Wolfgang, take the drone. Rainer, with me. We should be able to overwhelm him." Wolfgang took a step back but did not move. Katerina turned towards him, annoyed and incredulous, and in that moment, Loop tossed a small bolt of electricity towards Rainer. The synthfig caught it, gently placed his hand on Katerina's back, over her spine, and released the energy in a pulse. Katerina felt her entire body from the neck down become numb. She found she was completely frozen. She tried speaking and managed, "How--?"Now Loop stood, smirking, and sauntered over. "Cane was quite a bit more clever than you gave him credit for, as am I. Did you really think you had him fooled all this time? No, he knew from the start, five years ago, that you were neatly tucked away behind that cheerful 'Kat' mask. And of course, once he realized you'd survived, he decided that death was too good a fate for you. All the time I spent following you -- when I shot you dead, for znap's sake -- all we wanted was for you to come back out, to reveal yourself. Because the next part would only taste sweetest if you were awake to experience it.""All this just for mutiny?" Katerina spat."Oh, no way," Loop said with a chuckle. "This isn't mutiny. This is vengeance. You assumed, for decades, that Canis Schattenberg was brimming with gratitude for taking him under your wing. After all, why wouldn't he be? Mom dead in childbirth, dad dead from TB, and then in swoops Auntie Kat to make his life a perfect sciencey paradise? Of course, with the disdain you held for old RW, you never even considered the possibility that Cane held his father in high regard." Loop paused. "Frankly, Rainer Wolfgang Schattenberg was the man's idol. And that idol didn't think any more highly of you than you did of him. Oh, he knew you were going to sell those mines, and on his deathbed, he made sure his son wouldn't rest until he saw you ruined.""That's ancient history," Katerina snapped. "Don't tell me you actually care about that old feud?"Loop laughed. "Me? Of course not. I only agreed to this because it's fun. The only score I had was settled months ago when I made Swerve back there my pet." Katerina didn't react to this, but Hotwire did, gasping. Loop laughed again. "Small world, isn't it? Anyway, that 'feud' wasn't all that ancient to Cane, which is why he managed to hijack your plans completely. Your little executive override trick only works on me once, and your two friends over there are acting solely on instructions Cane left in their heads." He paused. "If I heard you correctly, you named them after their grandfather. How fitting.""I've heard enough," Katerina said, her voice full of fear masked with venom. "Kill me then, if that's what's you're here for.""Have you even been listening at all?" Loop grumbled. "Cane said death was too good for you. Besides, the past five years have proved that you'd find some way to survive. Your mind is far too tricky, so that's what we're after." He stood facing Katerina and placed his hands on her temples. "I've been practicing this quite a bit for the past few years. You'll live, I can promise you that...but you'll be a vegetable. Mindless and immobile. The only brain functions you'll retain will be the ones necessary for keeping your body alive." He grinned malevolently when he saw the terror that now showed in Katerina's iron eyes. "Nighty night, Auntie Kat."After that, the only thing that existed in Katerina's personal universe was pain. The insides of her eyelid seemed to her to shine brighter than the sun, and every bone in her head was white-hot. She tried to scream but could not make her brain send the command. The only thing to do was get lost in the agony until she felt herself slipping into oblivion.

[PeabodySam]

OOC: Oh, no, poor Katerina! "And I Must Scream", much?

OOC: Aha! I was right about the old man! Ben Gunn is also the Chekhov's MIA, isn't he? I began to assume Ben Gunn wasn't dead when I noticed his wiki page lacked the "deceased" category.

Heh, actually... Ben Gunn wasn't the Chekhov's MIA I had in mind while adding that entry to the TV Tropes page. Yep, there's still one more Chekhov's MIA that is still missing in action.Okay guys, prepare yourselves. A bit of a drama plot tumor coming this way. Hopefully, it won't be as bad as the last time such a plot tumor came up in my posts, but... still, prepare yourself for unneeded drama ahead.IC: As the meeting in the conference room dismissed, Frozeen tried to slip away, but he was stopped in his tracks by Shannon Grimton, who moved her wheelchair in his path. "I had hoped," frowned Shannon, "for both of our sakes, that we would never see each other again."Not sure how else to respond, Frozeen nodded. "I know this probably doesn't mean much," he murmured, "but I'm sorry. I'm sorry about that incident in senior year-""'I'm sorry' doesn't cut it, Peter," Shannon bitterly shook her head. "What you did to me would have destroyed any other girl that age if her hormone-influenced emotions were just a little crazier. I survived... but that does not mean I have to like you for it.""I know," Frozeen adverted his eyes, trying to focus on the floor or the ceiling, anywhere but her. "It was really stupid of me. I should never have said that... if I had known that all I was going to do was break your heart...""Peter," Shannon narrowed her eyes. "You told me that you loved me... while I was already in a relationship with another man. You left me confused. And when I finally decided to break up with him so that we could be together... you told me that you thought it would be 'for the best of both of us' if we had nothing to do with each other. Do you even begin to understand how heartbroken you left me?""You don't understand!" snapped Frozeen. "Okay, you want to know the full picture? I've got Asperger's syndrome! I'm socially inept! All throughout middle school and high school, I harbored a secret crush on you, especially since you were one of the few people who were always nice to me instead of bullying me around and picking on me for being different! I wanted to tell you my feelings, but because I've got Asperger's, I didn't have the guts to tell you! And by the time I finally worked up the courage to tell you for once and for all, it was too late! Okay? I'm different, I'm socially inept, I have trouble speaking to people because I have Asperger's syndrome! You're normal, Shannon; you would never understand how hard it is for me!"Shannon was silent for a moment. Frozeen withdrew his anger, silently cursing himself for keeping it bottled up and letting it explode now. When Shannon spoke again, her voice still carried the same level of bitterness, but it was no longer so harsh in tone. "But I do understand, Peter. My brother has autism, and all my life I've had to be there to support him."Frozeen blinked in surprise. "Autism?" he repeated. "I'm sorry... I never knew...""Some people," continued Shannon, "might look upon my brother and say that he 'will never fit into society' because he is 'different'. But I see him differently. I know that he has a vastly-intelligent mind and, even more importantly, a strong heart. He is the one who inspired me to study biomedical engineering and technology. I look past what other people may call 'differences' and see people for who they really are. And you, Peter... I knew you had a good heart. And that's why, throughout middle school and high school, I hoped that you would, one day, work up the courage to tell me how you felt. But, by senior year, I knew that I could not keep waiting, so I had decided to give up and start dating someone else. But Peter... those feelings you had for me... I had them for you too. That's why, ultimately, I chose to break up with my boyfriend so we could be together, rather than stay with him and turn my back on you."Frozeen was silent, but Shannon could see tears welling up in his eyes. He couldn't bear to think of what might have been, or dwell on the fact that he was so foolish to keep silent all those years. He wanted to speak his mind, to open up and admit his true feelings for her, to show that after all this time he still loved her, but he just could not form the words in his mouth. At last, Frozeen wiped his eyes, shook his head, and whispered: "I'm so sorry, Shannon." With that, Frozeen walked past Shannon and out into the hallway.OOC: Okay, good! You survived the drama-filled plot tumor! You deserve a reward for such a feat! But what would be a good reward... Hmm... Oh, I know! There's a surprise waiting for you in the System-Based Creations subforum. Go check it out!

[Atton Rand]

OOC: That was quite interesting to see. The only real flaw I think was in the appearances of some of the minifigs and even then I sort of get that you were just using what was available. I'll admit, there are a few characters it would have been nice to see but I guess I can understand why you didn't include them (Pierce for one thing would have been a nice addition to the hospital wing, but then again I guess I never really gave a clear description of what he looks like). I also would have liked to see Pyro in the cells, but then again you already had her in her "lighting the room on fire" scene and I guess finding a female head matching the description of her real appearance (If I'm not mistaken I actually explained her skin to be a grayish color from all the time she spend under the gas mask and fire suit).Speaking of Pyro, that reminds of me of something I think ought to be done.IC: "I think two of us should stand guard for now," Angel Eyes said. "We'll take it in turns, but if the mole comes we'll get him. I'll go first, and Firecr- wait, where'd he go?"Demoman muttered some other unintelligible phrase."That's unusual," Pyro muttered. "Normally I'm the one nobody can understand.""Should we... do something.... about her?" Dude asked. "He's right," replied Walter. "She znapping stinks."There was a brief period of arguing before Maria finally stepped up. "I'll take care of it," she said. "I saw men bathe all the time back in El Paso. I think I can help a woman.""You think so?" Replied Angel Eyes."No problem," replied Maria. "You learn a few useful skills bein' a woman.""And if the mole comes?""I ain't goin' to let her out of ma' sight," replied Maria."Alright then," replied Angel Eyes. He slowly walked up to the cell and opened it carefully. Pyro nervously walked toward her. Maria took her hand.OOC: You know, it just occurred to me, it's a shame Maria and Engineer never got to have a real conversation. That would have been quite interesting to write.IC: "You know," Darling said. "Is it just me or are those guys watching us?"French Fries looked up at the small group of agents at a nearby table, accompanying them a particularly repulsive looking creature. Suddenly, he spewed out a mouthful of food."GREAT BUILDER!" He shouted. "What in megablockland's name is that thing?""What thing, sir?" Darling asked."That thing," replied French Fries. "It looks like a giant minifig/mutant pterosaur hybrid!""I think that's what it is, sir," replied Darling. "That's the most disgusting thing I've ever seen in my entire life!" Replied French Fries. "For Builder's sake kill it! KILL IT!""Bit excessive, sir," replied Darling."It is strictly against the policy of this team to bring mutant dinos in here! One of these days I'm going to catch that Rex and have him shot, just like I did to that little mutant lizard of his.""You mean the one you ran over, sir?" "Yes," replied French Fries. "That's the one. Now kill that thing, and once you do I want you to find out who is responsible for bringing it in here and have them shot!""Sir,-""I could always arrange to have you shot," replied French Fries.Slowly, Darling sighed, stood up, and walked toward the table, drawing his revolver. He carefully cocked it and aimed it toward the abomination with the Pterosaur head."I'm sorry," he said. "I'm under orders." And he pulled the trigger...

[Jacks]

OOC: PeaSam, I've given my thoughts on your surprise in that thread already, but I must nevertheless reiterate its magnificence.

Oh, no, poor Katerina! "And I Must Scream", much?

Ha, yes, I was rather going for that.EDIT: Dang it, Atton, you stole my Mood Whiplash IC: Loop sighed happily as he carefully focused and channeled his stores of electrical energy into Katerina's brain. He relished the mental image of the current dancing through her grey cells, knocking them dead. He noticed, after a few seconds, that Hotwire was struggling. He nodded to Rainer, who walked to the back of the room and zapped the agent into unconsciousness.It hadn't been easy, Loop reflected, to get this trick down to a science. The first time he'd tried it, his unfortunate test subject had simply been cooked alive. The next, he'd gone too easy, and that victim had later recovered. But that had been over three years ago, and he was fully prepared for this moment. Katerina's body would live on for decades, requiring no life support, but remaining comatose until death -- the perfect fate for her. Loop grinned. If killing her body doesn't work, he thought gleefully, the only thing to do is erase her mind.His reverie was abruptly shattered when three shots rang out. Loop stumbled backwards, confused. He watched Wolfgang and Rainer fall to the floor with holes in their heads, looked up and saw Swerve brandishing Hotwire's smoking handgun, and finally glanced down at his own torso. A red stain was spreading rapidly across the shirt of his stolen D.I.N.O. uniform. He fell to his knees as Swerve crossed the room to stand over him."Tampering with a Mind-Control Orb to suit your own plans mighta seemed like a good idea at the time," the drone said. "Too bad that made the mind-control part less effective."Loop simply spat at his rival's feet before collapsing onto his back, blood pooling beneath him.Swerve cocked his skull. "That was a bit impolite," he said. "The way I see it, I've just done you a favor. I've fought you enough times to have an idea of what makes you tick. You've always wanted to be free, truly and completely free." He knelt beside Loop. "Sadly, complete autonomy isn't really possible, is it? Someone's always giving orders. Especially when you're born and bred to be a weapon for others." Loop's face contorted into a grimace and he growled, but there was agreement in his eyes."Nobody's ever gonna tell you what to do again," Swerve said quietly.Loop drew a long ragged gasp. "Go-- go to Mega-- to MegaBlokland," he choked. "And-- and th-- thanks." With that he closed his eyes and let the world go black.------------------------Swerve regarded the lifeless form of his old nemesis for a few moments before he stood. He walked to the corner of the room and retrieved his gloves, balaclava, and goggles. He glanced back at Lupus Schattenberg one last time.Then he picked up the prone forms of Katerina and Hotwire, heaved one onto each shoulder, and carried them out of the dim room to the medical wing. Edited July 14, 2012 by Jackson Lake

[Brikman McStudz]

OOC:​ Spectacular building with all its anachronism. I must express surprise at LDD not crashing at some point during the construction at some point.And at last, Loop's death. I want to call him a Complete Monster, but last bit about wanting his own freedom saved him from that title.IC:Pterisa seemed prepared for this sudden attack. French Fries being quite vocal about his disdain toward her seemed to help. As the agent pulled the trigger, Pterisa's wings shot open with enough force to throw the revolver into the air, firing as it flew.The rest of the agents at the table had a quick reaction. Nazareno lunged at the agent and pinned him to the ground. The agent struggled briefly before surrendering to the space ninja."Maybe you aren't aware," Zach said coldly, rising to his feet. "But without Pterisa, the Maelstrom would have most likely gained enough power to destroy this planet.""I was following orders," the agent grumbled."Then, as an Elite Agent," Andrew said. "I'm ordering you to stand down."At this point, French Fries rose to his feet and stomped angrily toward the group. "What are you doing?" he demanded. "Why is that abomination here? And why did you let it attack Agent Darling?""Pterisa is an ally," Minerva said through gritted teeth. French Fries glared at her. "She helped us take the Maelstrom Temple.""It is a Mutant Dino and needs to be removed from this building in accordance to policy," sneered French Fries. Zach wished he could punch this Elite Agent in the face. However, he refrained and continued to fume. He glanced at Pterisa, who seemed shocked and uncertain how to respond to this attack. Getting attacked by your supposed allies is not exactly a self-esteem booster."She has done absolutely nothing wrong," Laxus argued. "She only attacked Darling because you tried to have him kill her!""I don't care!" French Fries snapped. "Now stand down and shoot her or I'll have you all shot!""Perhaps," Pterisa suddenly said, sounding a little nervous again. French Fries jumped in surprise at her speech and turned to her angrily. "You should speak with your Founding Members, Elite Agent French Fries. Specs, Shadow, Digger or Viper will be able to vouch for me and allow me to stay in this building."

[Atton Rand]

IC: French Fries smiled. "I don't think that's going to do you much good," he said. "I got friends in high places. Excuse me, Darling.""Yes sir," replied Darling, nervously as he got up."Get Gunderson on the phone to Antarctica, get them in charge with the political head of state the various corporations responsible for our funding. Let them know that these men are harboring the enemy.""Sir," replied Darling. "You sure that isn't a bit excessive?""Absolutely not," replied French Fries. "From now on, we're making sure this team does its job properly. No more training mutant dinosaurs, not like that one fool. Oh what's his name? Ress? Ret?""Rex sir?""Yes, that's the one, who tried to train that mutant dinosaur, Tribble.""Trouble""What?""His name was trouble, sir.""Right," replied French Fries. "I took fine care of him, I did. Ran him straight over! Now, I should be going."With that, French Fries turned toward the door and started talking to Darling."Now we'll also need to boost the morale of the men before the next big push," he continued. "Then we can implement my brilliant plan.""You mean the one where everyone gets out of the base and walks very slowly toward the mutant dinosaurs?""Yes, that's the one.""I'll... uh... see to it then.""Very good, Darling."French Fries turned back toward the agents. "Now, I got work to do, but if that... thing is still here at dawn tomorrow, you will all be severely punished.... court martial followed by firing squad. Do I make myself clear?"There was a moment of silence. "Good," said French Fries as he turned away.

Edited July 15, 2012 by Atton Rand

[Andrewnuva199]

IC: Before French Fries could take another step, Andrew ran towards him, grabbed him by the arm, and slapped him hard across the face. He fell to the ground, and Andrew put himself atop his fellow Elite Agent."Nazareno!" he asked the ninja, "a little help he-"He was interrupted as French Fries punched him in the face, knocking Andrew off him. The madman got up and tried to run, but didn't get far before Nazareno lunged at him, pinned him to the ground, then pulled him up with a firm grip on his arms."At least Rotor was a good leader," the ninja muttered with quite a bit of hostility. "You? Judging by that 'plan' of yours, you have less commanding skills than a blade of grass."By now, Andrew was back on his feet, and he had some anger to release. "French Fries," he told the struggling agent, "you have no understanding of the importance of certain secrets, your realist views are so extreme that Kotua would be aghast, you fail at leadership, you're more ignorant than several politicians I could name to make a point, and you're willing to turn on your allies."That alone is so pitiful that it's a wonder that you're still here. But then you go and insult the things that some of us have spent hours into trying to help, and then... and THEN... you pass the line."Andrew looked back at Pterisa, who was still a little shaken at French Fries's hostility, and tried to shoot a reassuring smile. Then he turned back to the agent of the focus of his fury. "Insulting our most recent ally, who's still trying to just find a way to live among us, and who I and my friend have been spending the last day trying to welcome in, is one thing, but what you said about Trouble..."Andrew smiled with a menacing grin as he pulled out his PDA and typed out a message.Rex,I don't know if you've heard, but the team's got a troublemaker problem, and I think you should look into it.Elite Agent French Fries is bound to be fired soon. Not only did he cause the Antarctica riots and Dino Attack Schism by ordering Zenna to announce the secret mission there to the world, but he's tried to have two agents put to death for their actions on Adventurers' Island, has tried to get the team to try a really stupid plan during the next attack, tried to have some of our comrades killed just for their looks, and is trying to use "friends in high places" to try and run our team his way.How does this involve you? He's claimed to hate your idealist, dino-taming style with a passion, and brags with pleasure that he ran over Trouble at some point.I'm going to have him put in the holding cells, so feel free to visit him there, but if he escapes, do as you see fit.-AndrewAndrew sent the message and turned to his fellow agents. "Darling," he said, "From now on, you shouldn't obey this man. Try using your own codename or something to signify independence. Now, I think we better get this guy to the holding cells. I think he might have someone wanting to see him later. Plus we can try to find Rotor and Pilot and let them go.""Minerva and I know the way," said Zach. "Just follow us."The group began moving towards the exit. As they walked, Pterisa got near Andrew and whispered "Thanks for defending me.""No problem," Andrew whispered back. He looked back to French Fries, a furious look on his face as he tried to get free, but Nazareno wasn't having a problem keeping his grip on him."You are in soooo much trouble," Andrew muttered.---------The Fire Hammer arrived at the docks. Getting out, Semick saw a couple agents around the pier that he couldn't all recognize, but could for a few, such as for an agent with glasses and a brown helmet with a glass visor. He was sparring with one of his fellow agents."You the guys they sent for ID?" asked an agent who was walking up to Semick and the guy who drove him there."Yes," said Semick. "So do I need to sign some papers or something?""No, just confirm that you can confirm them as the agents they claim to be. Now c'mon."The three agents walked up to the group at the docks. As they did so, one of the sparring agents stopped sparring and looked to them with a smile. "Finally!" he said. "You're Semick, right?""That would be correct," said Semick. "I don't think we've fought alongside each other, B, but I've seen you around enough to know who you are.""And the others?" asked the dock agent.Semick stared at the other faces. "I'll be honest," said Semick. "I don't know them. Last I heard, B was with some friends by the name of Crooks and Knuckles and the like. But I think if they're with B, they're who they say they are. If we have problems with them, they can be handled later. Now just let them go, we don't need agents being isolated out here."

[PeabodySam]

OOC: That's it, French Fries. You've asked for it.Also, I'm glad to see that Brikman McStudz knew that Pterisa would never take someone pointing a gun at her sitting down.IC: Rex's joy over his reunion with Ben Gunn was brief. His PDA began beeping, and as he read over the message, his smile disappeared and was replaced with a grim expression."What is it?" inquired Amanda."I'm sorry, Ben Gunn," apologized Rex. "You cannot imagine how overjoyed I am to see you again, even if you are the bearer of bad news. But an urgent matter has just come up that demands my attention. If you wish, you may come with me."Ben Gunn shook his head. "It's alright, Rex. I need to use the facilities anyways, so I could use a little break."With that, they exited the broom closet and stepped out into the hallway. Rex gave Ben Gunn some quick directions to the nearest facility, then piloted his hover-chair in the direction of the detention block. His grim silence worried Amanda, who read his features and could tell that something was definitely wrong.At last, Rex found the Dino Attack agent whom he was looking for, Andrew, along with a group consisting of Zachary Virchaus, Minerva Fabello, Kareem Nazareno, Laxus, and even, to Rex's surprise, Pterisa. They were bringing along a Dino Attack agent with a large handlebar mustache, whose arms were locked behind his back by Nazareno to ensure he wouldn't escape.Rex stopped his hover-chair and looked at the group before him. Raising his eyebrows, he murmured in a quiet and surprised voice: "What's all this about?""Ah, Rex," nodded Andrew. "I'm glad you could come. This," he gestured to the mustached Dino Attack agent, "is French Fries.""Yes," frowned Rex, "but why is he being escorted to the detention block? Surely, this is not how an elite agent such as French Fries should be treated. What did he do to deserve this? Really, guys. Let's act a little more reasonable here. Nothing that French Fries has done at all constitutes him being locked up.""But-" began Zach."That's enough," Rex waved his hand, cutting off Zachary. He piloted his hover-chair until he was hovering right in front of French Fries. The other Dino Attack agents either stared at Rex in disbelief or began murmuring amongst themselves. Rex locked eyes with French Fries, smiled gently, and began taking off his gloves. "Elite Agent French Fries, today is your lucky day."With that, Rex landed a single punch on French Fries's face, summoning every ounce of physical strength he had as he made the attack. French Fries staggered back, and there was noticeable blood on his mustache.Then, Rex stripped away his facade of gentility and civility. His smile twisted into a horrible scowl as he gritted his teeth. "I've waited a long time to do that," Rex hissed through clenched teeth. "That dates back to the Kotua era. Oh, how I longed to give Kotua what he deserved, but I never had the chance. Then recently, with Rotor's little firing squad... I thought I'd give that to Rotor, but Clint Wayne was too quick. But this... Kotua may have been mad, but he was also intelligent and a loyal agent when not under mind-control, and Rotor at least is a competent leader with a good taste in music. You, on the other hand, have no redeeming factors. So, all this anger has been bottled up for nearly a year... and, as we all know, we shouldn't bottle up anger... because when it releases...""How dare you!" snapped French Fries. "You dare to assault an elite agent? I'll have your hide for this! My friends in high places-""Don't you see?" interrupted Rex. "I am an elite agent too, and so is Andrew over there. We don't need 'friends in high places'... we are the people in high places. And even so, I've got a friend, too: Specs, our team leader, and you can't get a place higher than that. But still...""Puh," scoffed French Fries. "I don't need to listen to you. Not after hearing the screams of your precious little mutant as I ran it over.""You just crossed a fine line, buddy," Rex narrowed his eyes. "Andrew, as an elite agent, you have the authority to pardon me. I need you to pardon me.""Pardon you?" blinked Andrew. "Pardon you for-""For this," growled Rex. With that, he lunged out of his hover-chair and tackled French Fries to the floor. Everyone was too stunned to react; they could only stand back and watch in horror as Rex delivered a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown. French Fries did not even have a chance to fight back, as every second landed another blow upon his face. "YOU..." shouted Rex as he laid blow after blow upon French Fries, "SICK... 4+ FIGURE...! Is it true? IS IT TRUE?""What?" gasped French Fries in between blows."DID YOU OR DID YOU NOT RUN OVER TROUBLE?" yelled Rex."I don't know!" snapped French Fries. "They all look the same! Pesky little buggers! Nobody's going to miss that mutant!" He just did not know when to shut up.Seething with fury, Rex landing a punch right in French Fries's mouth, knocking a tooth or two loose. "I SWEAR TO BUILDER..." screamed Rex, "IF YOU LAID SO MUCH AS A FINGER ON TROUBLE... YOU'RE DEAD! YOU HEAR ME? DEAD!" The horrible No-Holds-Barred Beatdown continued for another few dreadful seconds before Amanda finally snapped out of her stupor and tried to pull Rex off. In the end, it took the combined effort of Nazareno, Andrew, and Amanda to pry Rex off of French Fries, and even as they forced Rex to sit back down in the hover-chair, the elite agent was still trying to throw punches at French Fries.When French Fries stood, his face looked like he had ran through traffic. His mustache was soaked with blood, which also dripped out of cuts on his lips and cheeks. His eyes were swollen from all the bruising, and he could scarcely do more than squint. To ensure that he did not try to escape, Pterisa grabbed his arms and locked them behind his back.When the others managed to finally calm Rex down, he wiped the sweat off his brown and glared at French Fries. "Get this scum out of my sight," he growled. "If you need to, get Specs's permission to lock him up in the highest-security prison available. And Andrew, please make sure that you pardon me."OOC: Ah, a good way to finally let loose all that anger that had been bottled up for the past seven years! As well as show a little bit of Rex's insanity showing through again.

Edited July 15, 2012 by PeabodySam

[avmatoran]

OOC:I recently saw the 2002 Spiderman and Spiderman 2. French Fries reminds me of J. Jonah Jameson.I liked the building. I only really looked at the tech center, but it was cool.

[that guy from that show]

OoC:Well I must say Peabody, that Headquarters was certainly impressive. So many characters and so much going on, It was hard to take it all in. It’s a shame Pharisee and Solomon could not be in it but that is forgivable considering you have no picture.Specking of that I have acquired the parts to make minifigs of Pharisee, Solomon, and Katerina. I would rather do a big group of figs so if anyone has any requests now is the time to place them. I’ll try and build a bunch and upload a few latter this month.IC:Naomi groaned as she zipped up Ata’s body bag and struggled to lift the weight on to the waiting gurney. The wheals slid it away and she attempted to compensate with the changed center of gravity. The dead weight shifted and Ata’s body fell to the floor with a flop. Naomi swore as she bent down to pick it up.“Do you want some help with that?”She looked up to see Hertz leaning on the doorway to the mortuary. He gave a lopsided grin as he limped over beside her.“I can handle it Hertz,” muttered Naomi as lifted it up and slammed it onto the gurney. “It seems to be all I’m capable of.”“What do you mean by that.” Said Hertz razing his eyebrow. “You did magnificent work after the attack on the rear guard camp.”Naomi rolled her eyes. “Have you noticed that of all the medical staff working here I seem to be only one without a PhD?”“What about those two guys?” offered Hertz.“Do you mean Enter and Return?” chuckled Naomi. “Those two are cool dudes.”She removed the plastic gloves from her hands and pulled down her hair net to unleash her plush Afro. She gave a halfhearted sigh as she pushed the gurney down the hall.Hertz followed her. “What do you mean this is all you are capable off?”She did not look back as she headed to the crematorium. “It seems to me that the only work I seem to do around here is fill out paperwork and bring stuff to the doctors. I thought I’d be making a bigger impact then this. I’m at the bottom of the pecking order Hertz and I’m starting to feel it.”The techy shrugged. “Well…er…isn’t that what a nurse does? They’re a doctor’s helper right. You went to med school to become a nurse not a surgeon like doctor Wade.”It was the wrong thing to say. Naomi stopped the gurney suddenly and Ata’s body slid to the floor with a plop. Hertz limped in front to return it to the cart just as Naomi her head down. “You should still be in bed Hertz. It’s only been a little over a day since you broke your arm and your leg’s not fully healed.”“If this was anywhere else I would agree with you.” Responded Hertz. “But my arm would take weeks to heal and I want to…”“Want to what?” cut in Naomi sharply. “Be a hero? Do your job? Why can’t you just lessen to what I tell you to do?”Hertz was at a total loss for how to respond. He could tell something was troubling Naomi but he had no idea what. He placed a hand on her shoulder but she shook it away.“What’s this about?” he asked softly.“I just feel like such an cool dude.” She said. “I thought I could contribute something when I found that scrap of paper. I thought I might be able to help stop that mole and actually do something cool. Amanda made me feel like a moron and I have nothing to show for it except this!”She pulled out the handwriting that Claw had provided her and threw it at Hertz. She then turned to the gurney and kicked it. “Instead I’m just cleaning up this mess!”He was totally clueless. Responding to social cues had always been once of his short comings and he felt totally awkward standing in the hall with a beautiful women on the brink of tears and doing nothing. He approached her cautiously and put an arm around her.“There, there.” He cooed for lack of a better response.Instead of the reaction he hoped for Naomi glared at him and pushed him away. Hertz gave her a lost look and flung his arms up in the air. “What do you want me to do?”“Seriously Hertz you have not figured it out by now?” said Naomi. “Give me some space, you’re suffocating me! Just back off!”Hertz’s mind was spinning. “Back off?” he asked confused. “What was that on the tarmac then? You ran out and we kissed. You’re sending me all these mixed messages!”Now Naomi flung up her arms. She let out a long grown and continued pushing the gurney down the hall. “That was different. I was worried about you; I thought you might have died. That was it. Everything is just so weird between us now and it’s happening so fast. I need a brake.”“What do you mean?”“Hertz you proposed to me after three days!” said Naomi a little to loudly. Some other agents in the hall gave the two some strange glances. “You don’t find anything weird about that?”Hertz tugged at his collar uncomfortably. He was horrible at talking about his emotions especially with eavesdroppers. “Naomi please, I love you, can’t we just start over?”“It talk like that that makes this so messes up!” she muttered. “I’m not ready to start over Hertz, I need a brake!”The techy sighed. There were a lot of things he wanted to tell Naomi but they all sounded some dumb in his head. He wanted to say how sorry he was and admit he was a looser but it was impossible to put into words. Instead of saying what his heart told him he just nodded dumbly. “Okay.”Naomi shrugged and gave a weak smile. “Thanks Hertz. I think we both need this right now. I’ll see you around, until then we’re just friends.”“Just friends.” repeated Hertz. It was not what he wanted but he was incapable of arguing with her. Naomi gave an expression that Hertz could not identify before she walked away pushing Ata’s gurney.She left Hertz standing alone and confused in the hall. He had never felt so lost.OoC:Well there is my romantic plot tumor. It’s interesting that Frozeen has Aspherger’s I always saw Hertz as having it two, the difference is that he is far less self aware. Hertz is based a lot on myself. I would not be surprised if all of us on this RPG have Aspherger’s people like us seem to find each other.This French Fries saga has certainly been enjoyable. Alas I was hoping to have Solomon come in and deflect the bullet from Pterisa but I’m incapable of spontaneous posting right now. This leaves me in a situation where I really have no idea what to do with him. I really want to give the old man some action but right now I’m rather stuck.You can depend on Pharisee to get violently involved in the French Fries fiasco. Internal affairs has been very busy lately but I will certainly make time to have the commander scare the megabloks out of that loony.I would love the honers to beat the pulp out of the guy

Edited July 15, 2012 by that guy from that show